


Off The Rails

by JamieB93



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bisexual Harley Keener, Bisexual Peter Parker, Child Abuse, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Grooming, Harley Keener Needs a Hug, Harley Keener is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Harley Keener is Tony and Pepper's biological son, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Physical Abuse, Self-Harm, Sexual Abuse, Tony Stark Acting as Harley Keener's Parental Figure, and a spoiled little shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2020-09-25 18:56:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 27
Words: 114,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20376478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JamieB93/pseuds/JamieB93
Summary: Harley Stark and Peter Parker couldn't have come from more different starts.Harley, the son of billionaire CEO's, is world famous. A heartthrob the world over, Harley lives in a bubble of his own narcissism and needs to learn a thing or two about humility.Peter is a scrappy orphaned kid from the wrong side of the tracks, hiding more than a few dark secrets of his own.When the two find themselves thrown together, sparks inevitably fly.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is a bit of new and different kind of fic for me. I've wanted to do a pure Harley/Peter story for a while and this is what I've managed to come up with. I'm not sure where it'll go or how long for, but it's nice to try something a little different out.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!|

Off The Rails.

Chapter One.

_The Problem Child._

_ _

“D’you think she’s mad?”

“Do you care?”

“Not really.”

*

*

Twitter was ablaze, partly outrage, partly admiration but as always seemed to be the case; Harley Stark was the center of discussion. The sixteen-year-old son of billionaire CEO’s Tony Stark and Pepper Potts had developed something of a reputation as the world’s foremost, but oddly likeable, wild child.

@AmyWilliams2002

Harley Stark is such a privileged little asshole. But he’s a very pretty privileged little asshole and I want to travel the world with him.

**75.3K** Likes **104.8k **retweets

@ShannonEastway

Y’all really out here stanning this spoiled ass white boy? [1/4]

**96.2k **Likes **57.3k **retweets

@ShannonEastway

This little asshole stole his father’s JET and took two friends to St. Tropez with no regard for his safety, the safety of his friends or the people his ass could have crash landed on [2/4]

**75.1k **Likes **39.2k **retweets

@ShannonEastway

But cos he got the right complexion, a cute face and flexed a bicep in his Instagram post I guess we just gonna let him get away with it again [3/4]

**54.3k **Likes **25.1k **retweets

@ShannonEastway

Pepper Potts come get your son. He ain’t right. (4/4)

**97.4k **Likes **109.2k **retweets

@MikeFromRoseHill

Harley Stark is the GOAT, man. What a legend.

**227.4k **Likes **69.2k **retweets

@harleystarkfandom3000

Omg ppl need to stop being so mean about harley!!! He’s such a kind and caring person and he’s allowed a freakin vacation!

**548 **Likes **273 **retweets

@MattWyatt

We’re all freaking out about Harley Stark stealing his dad’s jet but let’s focus on what’s really important here; his bicep.

**66.2k **Likes **41.7k **retweets

@Flash_Thompson

I got to school with Harley Stark and can confirm he’s 100% a badass

**75 **Likes **104 **retweets

@MyFriendsCallMeMJ

@Flash_Thompson I also go to school with him and confirm he’s just an ass.

**20 **Likes **6 **retweets

@MyFriendsCallMeMJ

Also, his dad literally made billions off of weapons dealing so….

**17 **Likes **4 **retweets

@Ms.BettyBrant

Harley Stark walks around our school like he owns it. Which, to be fair, he probably does

**117 **Likes **203 **retweets

@Peter_Parker

Harley Stark has never made eye contact with me in my life.

**14 **Likes **2 **retweets

*

In another life, in another world, Harley Stark was not a spoiled rich kid. Maybe he was one of those rich kids who weren’t spoiled, maybe he was worse, maybe he was born into some poor town in the middle of Tennessee where nothing ever happened and no one ever left. It was all moot though, because Harley Stark was born into privilege and had grown up in front of the world’s eyes. He was the most famous teenager on the planet. Being the son of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts kind of guaranteed that.

Harley was a genius. That much had been clear since he was an infant and was able to hold conversations (usually consisting of him colourfully adding to his father’s interviews) which had resulted in precious few grumbles about nepotism when Harley was accepted to Midtown Scholastic Academy, an academic school on which Tony was a board member. The whole world seemed to recognise that the boy had earned his place.

Intelligence notwithstanding, Harley wasn’t exactly known for making the best or most rational decisions. What had initially been seen as simple childish antics when he was younger had taken hold and developed into full scale teenage rebellion by the time he was fifteen. It didn’t help that Harley seemed to revel, and almost crave, the attention that being the son of Iron Man and Time’s Woman Of The Year 2013 afforded him. Savvy and intelligent, he’d quickly cultivated an image for himself on social media and boasted millions of followers on both Instagram and Twitter.

His posts detailing the inner life of the Avengers team, as well as a never-ending stream of prank videos, had attracted massive amounts of attention and soon enough the whole world seemed to revel and wait for the next instalment. What made it so easy for Harley was the fact that, like his father, he had charm and charisma coming out of his ears yet he’d also inherited his mother’s soft-eyes and soothing voice. Those elements, in addition to his blossoming good looks, had made Harley a heartthrob the whole world over. All at the sage of sixteen.

Harley was adored and loathed in equal measure.

Those who loathed him saw him as nothing more than overly privileged, arrogant, spoiled little brat who basked in the gifts afforded to him by accident of birth. Harley’s rebellious behaviour and seeming disregard for anything other than his latest whim were perceived as being the results of bad parenting. Of course, Tony Stark could never have had a kid and had him come out well adjusted. Tony Stark wasn’t well adjusted. Harley was too much his father’s son. And Tony was also a figure who was adored and loathed in equal measure. To many, Harley was nothing more than a self-centered little asshole (and maybe that was true).

Those who adored him…well, they adored him. Harley was the ultimate voyeuristic fantasy playing out in front of their eyes; rich, famous, good-looking, charismatic and seemingly always surrounded by friends, celebrities and sycophants. The charisma was the key. Harley could charm anyone he met very easily, and certainly gave off a perception of being a kind and considerate person when he needed to be. Clips of him playing with his baby sister, Morgan, had gone viral and were always a handy reminder for Harley’s fans to remind his detractors of what a good person he was (and maybe that was true, also)

Everyone had an opinion on Harley Stark. They all seemed to judge him one way or another, good or bad, and Harley loved it.

Or, at least, that’s what he told himself.

*

“…Dude, you _can’t _be serious” Harry Osborne exclaimed, “They can’t seriously have grounded you for the entire summer and cut you off!”

“I wish I was joking” Harley moaned, “Dad cut up my credit card right in front of me. I’m due another lecture in approximately fifteen minutes. Once Mom and Dad have finished up with the police.”

“The police?”

“Yeah, apparently flying your Dad’s jet without permission is illegal” Harley said as he rolled his eyes and sat back down on his bed, “They’re talking them down now. I’m sure it’ll just be a slap on the wrist at the end of the day.”

“I hope so man” Harry mused, “Jail would suck…..so, you coming to Keegan Williams’ rager on Saturday? He’s already telling everyone that you’re dropping by”

“Of course, he is” Harley muttered, “I’ll have to see, man. They seem kinda serious about this one I don’t wanna push them too far.”

Harry Osborne was Harley’s best friend. They’d known each other since first grade and had initially bonded over the fact that their first names sounded so similar. They were a destructive, impulsive duo from the start. Harley & Harry became a force to be reckoned with, a duo of boys with the kind of gross charisma that repelled and attracted their peers to them in equal measure.

After Harley, Harry was probably the most famous teenager in the world. His father, Norman Osborne, ran Oscorp which just so happened to be the lead competitor and long-time rival of Stark Industries. This had caused both parents no end of headaches but the boys were never ones to let business get in the way of pleasure (i.e. pranks at school) even if in the back of their minds they were both aware of the inevitability of inheriting their parents industries and becoming business rivals.

But those would be problems they wouldn’t face until they were old. Like, in their forties. It seemed such a long way off that Harley didn’t dwell on it despite his father’s desperation and bemusement that the only true friend he’d ever made just happened to be the son of his greatest rival.

Despite this, Tony and Pepper had more or less adopted Harry as their own and Norman Osborne was at least cordial to Harley whenever he visited. There were probably ulterior motives at play, but they suited the boys agenda.

“Maybe taken a L then?” Harry suggested, “I’m sure Keegan Williams’ reputation will live to see another day, especially if I’m still going.”

“Congrats on twenty mill, by the way” Harley teased, “Those of us with upwards of fifty need reminding of more humble times.”

“Fuck off, you only have that many cos you hoe yourself out on there.”

“Hey man, I’m just giving the people what they want”

*

*

“Good enough, just” Pepper said tensely over breakfast the next morning, “You have a long way to go until you earn any kind of privileges back.”

“I know” Harley sighed

“And you can forget about presenting at the Teen Choice Awards” she continued, “And don’t even think of asking me if you can do that brand deal with Pepsi.”

“I figured” Harley muttered.

“I’m serious, Harley” Pepper snapped, “Don’t just sit there and huff. What you did was beyond reckless and stupid, you could have died. Your friends could have died. You could have killed hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent people.”

“You make it sound like I hijacked a jumbo jet” Harley snapped back, “I took the smallest private plane we have, and you and the media are treating me like I just went to JFK and took the nearest empty 747”

“A plane crash is still a plane crash” Pepper said bluntly, “You could have died in the middle of the ocean, we may never have found you. Your father is having to work until all hours of the day just to keep Osborne from suing us from endangering Harry, I’m being hounded by the press wherever I go, this isn’t fair Harley.”

“I know, I’m sorry” Harley repeated, feeling genuinely guilty.

“People are saying I’m an unfit mother, you know that right?” Pepper replied somewhat tearfully and Harley felt his heart sink. Because she was the furthest thing from that. “They were talking about it on all the talk shows yesterday, all the press, why can’t Pepper Potts reign her son in? What a useless mother.”

“You’re not useless”

“Aren’t I?” Pepper screamed, “My son hijacks planes, for no reason other than the fact he’s an arrogant little shit and knows he can get away with it. They wanted to lock you up Harley. If you put one more toe out of line, it’s juvie, and I won’t stand in their way next time and neither will your father.”

“He’d probably throw away the key” Harley said bitterly, “That’s if he can ever bare to look at me again.”

“Can you blame him?”

Harley honestly did not have a response to that. He knew what he did was stupid, though he did have to wonder what his father had expected having let him have flying lessons since the age of eleven. It wasn’t normally for a sixteen-year-old kid to be able to fly a plane, but a mixture of enabling and genius had conspired to make it possible for Harley. At the time, he was sure that any other child in his position would have done the same if given the opportunity but there was something so soul destroying about Kylie Jenner publicly calling you out for being a “spoiled, entitled dickhead” that was really sticking with Harley.

His father wasn’t talking to him, had barely been able to allow himself to be in the same room as his son since they’d arrived back from St. Tropez.

“What is it going to take with you?” Pepper carried on, “When are you going to start growing up and learn to think before you act. I am _exhausted _Harley and your father’s heart can’t take this kind of stress.”

“How many _more _times do you need me to say I’m sorry” Harley asked angrily

“It’s not about saying sorry, you’re very good at saying sorry” Pepper replied, “It’s about meaning it and learning from your mistakes, letting them show you the way to start being a better person.”

“So…so you think I’m a bad person?” Harley asked, sounding a lot more childlike and vulnerable than he would have liked to.

“No” Pepper replied bluntly, “And that’s the part that makes me sad. You’re not a bad person, not deep down, but you’re not a very good person either. You’re selfish Harley, and it breaks my heart to have to say that to my own son. You’re selfish.”

“D’you….d’you even…love me?”

“You’re my son” Pepper said softly, “I have loved you to the moon and back from the second you were placed in my arms. Hell, before then. I will love you until my dying breath but, my god, Harley there are times where I don’t like you all that much.”

That stung.

Harley sighed and got up from the table, hoping beyond hope to be well out of ear and eye shot before he let the tears come pouring down his face. Slumped against his bedroom door, Harley slid to the ground and opened up his phone notifications. He knew he shouldn’t have but it was almost instinctual at this point.

His Twitter mentions were a mess.

He’d been forgiven. It seemed.

An outpouring of love, support and forgiveness was being directed his way. The media seemed to be taking a ‘boys will be boys and this boy did something stupid but he said sorry so let’s all move on now’ approach, Harley knowing deep down they were waiting with deep anticipation for the next time he fucked up. Almost willing him to.

And he would, god, he knew he would.

That was the life of a famous problem child.

*


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> @CindyBloodMoon  
Some of you have never had Tony Stark’s son puke on your shoes and it shows.

Off The Rails.

Chapter 2.

_The (Cracked) Golden Boy._

“You look good, Parker”

“Are you sure? Seems a bit vain.”

“Not many people can pull off such an ugly hairstyle”

“…..HEY!”

*

Peter Parker wasn’t entirely a nobody. People knew him. They knew he was one of the poorest kids at Midtown, only there on the strength of his scholarship which was handed to him after he posted the best entrance exam results in the schools near century long history. Which meant that as well as being the poorest kid at Midtown, Peter Parker was also the smartest and this brought him a considerable amount of interest.

Flash Thompson, that asshole, seemed to take particular interest with Peter. The boy had allowed himself to become jealous to the point of obsession with Peter Parker, always on hand to dampen the boys (precious few) victories and highlight his (unfortunately frequent) losses as if he reveled in them. But Peter Parker, tragic genius, was no pushover. He’d known struggle, he’d known hardship and he was prepared to bite back.

And, so, he did.

One too many physical incidents regarding Peter and Flash at school had resulted in them both receiving formal warnings. They were separated from one another to the best the school could manage. Their timetables were modified so that not only were they never in the same class, they were never on the same side of the school when the other was. This didn’t seem to stop the boys finding one another, though, often as a result of Flash deliberately seeking the smaller boy out to taunt him.

Peter hadn’t intended on pushing Flash first, or even interacting with him at all, but once the snot-nosed brat had said unkind things about Peter’s dead uncle – it was on. Peter’s gentle push had sent Flash into a range and within about twenty seconds they’d beat down, fallen to the ground and then been promptly pulled apart.

He was a bag of nerves as he rode the subway home. The slip telling his aunt that he was going to be in detention all of the next week scrunched up in his jacket pocket. He had no intention of ever letting her see it, she worked such late shifts that it would hardly matter if he turned up an hour later from school than he usually did.

She never got back until ten. Sometimes he was even in bed before she got back.

Peter knew that he could keep this a secret.

No one needed to know.

There was a long line of things about Peter’s life that no one needed to know.

His only problem now would be making sure Phil didn’t catch wind of what he was up to.

That wouldn’t be good.

*

As godawful a proposition as spending the whole summer with some geek from school in his dad’s lab sounded, Harley knew that he was getting off very lucky. He owed it to his parents to keep himself on the straight and narrow considering what a big risk they had taken essentially paying off law enforcement in order to keep him from being arrested. He had been issued a caution, however, and likely wouldn’t ever be getting his hands on an official pilots license.

He was surprised by his father’s recommendation of spending so much time in the lab, though it at least meant Tony was willing to be around his son and maybe even speak to him. Harley wasn’t an idiot; he knew his dad didn’t hate him and that was merely (very) disappointed in him but the cold shoulder was beginning to sting and he wanted just some form of acknowledgement from his father. He hadn’t quite expected said acknowledgement to come in the form of being told he was going to be mentoring some geek from school in the lab all summer, but Harley knew to take what he could get. Expecting anything was out the window, at least for the time being.

Harley was also not an idiot. He knew full well this ‘mentoring’ thing would actually be the other way around, and that Tony would find the most well-behaved and studious kid in Harley’s whole school to come and spend the summer with them. That way, Harley would be able to see what a real well-behaved kid acted like and would then be able to follow suit. The mere suggestion of such a thing already had Harley feeling like he wanted to climb the walls and give Tony one big final fuck you and never be seen again.

But he couldn’t do that.

He owed it to them to at least try.

Hell, he owed it to himself.

All his life he’d been warned about privileged kids who grew up having it all and then ended up dead before the age of thirty via suicide, a drug addiction or something else. It wasn’t a nice feeling and although Harley had initially dismissed the possibility of something like that happening to him; “Rick Kid crashes father’s stolen private jet into the sea” seemed like an almost prophetic news headline.

“Morning” Harley said quietly as he entered the kitchen ready for school. Tony was sitting at the table, face hidden by an almost comically large newspaper. Harley half wondered if Tony was trying to prove some kind of weird point to him. He often was.

“Good morning, nuisance child” his father’s voice rang out and Harley almost dropped the carton or orange juice he was about to drink from as he registered the fact his father was speaking to him for the first time in a week.

“You look nice today” Harley noted, “Very….newsworthy”

Tony sighed and put the newspaper down.

“We’re not quite there yet, kiddo” he said seriously, “But your mother tells me that you agreed to this summer internship deal, so that’s the first thaw in the iceberg.”

“And said thaw rewards me with the privilege of having my own father speak to me and acknowledge that I exist?” Harley asked, raising an eyebrow. Tony did not look amused.

“Can you honestly say you deserve more?” he snarled, brushing past Harley and towards the lab. Harley sighed and cringed.

_Fucked it up._

_I always fuck things up._

_He’s probably not going to speak to you until August now._

“Fine by me” Harley huffed to himself before picking up his bag and heading off to school.

*

Peter shifted uncomfortably next to Phil as the man stepped into the car and gave him a soft smile before turning the engine on. Peter made sure to return.

He knew he’d regret it if he didn’t.

“What’s on the agenda today then, Pete?” Phil asked nicely as they set off, “Something sciencey no doubt”

“W-well, I h-have b-biology today but that’s it” Peter replied nervously, “It’s a science-based school but we do have other classes. I have an English report due today that I am not looking forward to.”

“Oh yeah, and why’s that?” Phil asked.

Peter frowned. Why did he always do this? Why did he always pretend everything was A-OK the morning after the night before? It was _so _confusing.

“I’m just not very good at English” Peter admitted, “The book kinda sucked and I didn’t really manage to get as much written as I should.”

“What book is that, then?” Phil asked

“Tess Of The D’Urbervilles” Peter said quietly, “By Thomas Hardy”

“Hey, I love that book” Phil replied enthusiastically, “I did a report on it in school myself, it’s a shame you didn’t tell me before. I could’ve helped you.”

Peter didn’t know whether to take Phil’s subsequent laughter as intended, or worry it was some warning of what was to come later for him being to stupid. Phil was a freakin’ English Literature lecturer at NYU. Of course, he would have been able to help Peter with his book report.

“Sorry” Peter mumbled, “I should have come to you.”

“Don’t worry about it, just remember to next time” Phil said brightly, “I’m always here to help you, Peter. Getting involved with your aunt made taking an interest in you.”

Peter frowned. Phil was so confusing. He’d been in their lives for a few months now and he hadn’t seen May this happy since before Ben had died. Ever since he’d been shot down and killed on the streets, the two of them had been kind of living in a blur. One day just bled into the next and so on and so forth.

Peter recovered first, if you could even call it that. The pressure of school work had been the first thing to swing him out of his depressed state, an overwhelming anxious desire to make sure that he stayed in the school Ben had fought so hard to get him in. Then came his best friends. Betty, MJ and Ned had spent weeks texting Peter every day to make sure he was alright and he was aware of how desperate they were becoming. He owed it to them, and to May, to pick himself up and recover.

It was a lie, of course it was, no one ever recovers from watching their uncle die violently right in front of them.

But it got him out of bed.

He put one step in front of another, until it felt natural to do so again.

May’s depression was lifted somewhat by this, as if seeing Peter start to function again meant she now had to function in order to look after him. And so, that’s what they did. Pretend. It was all pretend, and Peter could sense that his aunt was never really living. She just existed.

That was, until Phil came along. He made her feel special, visible, seen, alive. And Peter couldn’t thank the man enough, at first, because May was May again and it didn’t matter if the man on her arm wasn’t Peter’s uncle, she was happy. She was so happy. Peter would lay down his life to make May happy, weather any storm, walk through any fire if it meant he got to see his aunt’s beautiful and genuine smile radiate across the whole of New York.

“I’ll see you tonight, six o’clock, we’ll make your aunt a nice meal” Phil said as they pulled up to the school. Peter gave him an awkward smile and a thank you before hastily getting out of the car, making sure his sleeves were pulled over his bruised wrists and practically running into the school building.

He could take this. He could take this. Always, anything, if it meant May got to be happy.

*

@GraceBallinger

Reports from insiders confirm Harley Stark has been issued with a caution from the NYPD due to last weeks events. Stark Industries have declined to comment.

**13.5k **Retweets **51.1k **Likes

@ShannonEastway

The fact Harley Stark can hijack a plane and get off with just a caution speaks volumes about what is wrong with this country.

**57.3k **Retweets **44.2k **Likes

@TimAshford84

Harley Stark avoided arrest because his parents are billionaires. No more, no less. Disgusting what the rich can get away with in this country.

**74.2k **Retweets **113.6k **Likes

@MarleneEvans

@TonyStark, @ThePepperPotts – you two are the worst parents on the planet, how is your boy meant to learn right from wrong if you keep bailing him out?!

**326.3k **Retweets **132.1k **Likes

@harleystarkfandom3000

RT this if you think Harley Stark is innocent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**76.3k **Retweets **10.2k **Likes

@StarkIndustries

Neither Mr. Stark nor Ms. Potts will be making any official statements to the press regarding allegations surrounding their son, Harley.

**1.2m **Retweets **890.2k **Likes

@StarkIndustries

Mr. Stark would like to remind the media and the public that as Harley stole his property, it was at Mr. Stark’s discretion as to the level of punishment his son would receive.

**1.23m **Retweets **614.3k **Likes

@StarkIndustries

Harley has been punished according to what Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts feel is most appropriate, hence why no further statements will be made by them regarding this matter.

**1.48m **Retweets **497.2k **Likes

@ShannonEastway

Honestly, just burn the rich.

**45.6k **Retweets **13.4k **Likes

@Ms.BettyBrant

OMG! Harley Stark is like….freaking out at school right now. He almost puked in the corridor.

**172 **Retweets **413 **Likes

@CindyBloodMoon

Some of you have never had Tony Stark’s son puke on your shoes and it shows.

**29.4k **Retweets **18.9k **Likes

@CindyBloodMoon

Ewww. No, I won’t sell you my shoes. The fuck is wrong with some of y’all?

**10.9k **Retweets **15.2k **Likes

*

The whole world had an opinion on Harley Stark, and Peter was no exception. He didn’t really feel too strongly one way or the other about the guy – sure, it was kinda cool when he got to tell strangers that he was one of Harley’s classmates and he was certainly a cocky little shit but he’d never done anything wrong to Peter so there was no reason for Peter to hate him. It seemed unfair to do so based on what he’d seen on the Internet.

Of course, in order to do something wrong to Peter, Harley would have had to acknowledge the fact that Peter existed which he had decidedly never done. Peter didn’t think he could recall one singular moment of eye-contact between them in the seven or eight years they had been existing in one another’s orbits. Harley Stark probably didn’t even know Peter’s name, and why would he? Who was Peter? He was the poor kid from Queens, he would never be able to compare to Harley Stark – son of the world’s most famous and enigmatic billionaire.

That was, until, Peter found Harley having a full-blown panic attack on the second-floor male student toilets that very afternoon. Peter had actually only entered the bathroom for fear that he, himself, might soon descend into a panic attack himself but seeing Harley in the midst of an even worse one had promptly dragged Peter crashing back to reality.

“Wh-what’s ha-happening to m-me?” Harley stuttered as his eyes scanned the room and locked on to Peter.

Peter was surprised to see almost a look of relief as Harley focused on him. He may have never acknowledged Peter until that moment, but he wasn’t blind and Peter was at least a familiar face to Harley if nothing else.

“I think you might be having a panic attack” Peter said kindly, sitting down next to Harley and placing a hand on his shoulder, “Just breathe through it. You’ll be alright. The fact you’re talking and able to focus on something means the worst of it has already passed.”

“You a doctor?”

“Nope. Just no stranger to panic attacks.”

“Oh, sorry, that’s shitty” Harley whispered, “So you like….go through this shit every day?”

“Not every day” Peter frowned, though he was totally blanking on the last day when he didn’t suffer through a panic attack.

“The whole world hates me” Harley muttered, “The whole world just freakin’ hates me.”

Peter didn’t feel too much sympathy for the boy regarding that. His own parents had been killed in a plane crash so to hear that Harley had acted so recklessly and stolen one had rubbed him the wrong way somewhat.

So, Peter told him.

“What you did was really fucked up” he said bluntly, “My parents died in a plane crash, y’know, and hearing that you would….well, it made me have a panic attack.”

Harley looked horrified.

“Oh” he said quietly.

“Yeah. Oh.” Peter said with a shrug before getting up, “You seem to be over the worst of it, just keep taking deep breaths and then….I dunno, make another public apology or something. I can’t really give you advice on how not to make the world hate you.”

“Thanks” Harley said with a slight grin, “I’m sorry about your parents. I had no idea.”

“You have no idea who I even am” Peter reminded him. Harley looked a little bashful.

“And, I’ll be honest” he breathed uneasily, “I’ll probably forget all over again. But as I’ve already humiliated myself in front of you once….what’s your name, again?”

“Peter Parker.”

“Ooh double P’s, like my Mom” Harley replied with a smile, “Hey, you never know, that little coincidence might be the thing that helps me remember you!”

“And wouldn’t that be such an honor” Peter said sarcastically, rolling his eyes, before picking up his bag and leaving Harley Stark alone in the bathroom.

*

**Harley_Stark **started following **Peter Parker. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one night?! (don't get your hopes up its only cos I had this one already written out)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Last chance saloon, kiddo” Tony carried on, “We’ve had a talk and if you don’t manage to keep yourself in line over this summer, we’ve got a nice boarding school in England just waiting for you.”
> 
> “You wouldn’t” an outraged Harley replied.
> 
> “We would” Pepper said angrily, raising her eyebrows as if inviting her rebellious son to dare try and talk back to her. He knew better than that. “D’you know how much our stocks and public relations have fallen since your little flying joyride?”
> 
> “Oh, I’m sorry, are the billionaires down a few bucks?” Harley shot back, OK so maybe he wasn’t smart enough to know better, “How sad for you. Are we only going to buy three more private islands this year instead of six?!”

**Off The Rails.**

_Chapter 3._

Boundaries (More, The Lack of Them)

“Damn, Parker, your follower count is blowing up!”

“Fuck off Flash. Do you expect me to think you just coincidentally offered to buy me chocolate pudding the day after Harley Stark followed me on Instagram”

“No. I did it because you’re poor.”

*

Harley had come to terms with his sexuality at the age of thirteen. He’d walked in on Steve Rogers changing after a training session in the compound, and suddenly the final piece of a lifelong jigsaw puzzle finally fell into place. Harley was bisexual. He was just as in love with Natasha Romanoff as he was with Steve Rogers, though he’d only ever had romantic interactions with girls. Just because Harley knew that he was bisexual didn’t mean that the world, or anyone, needed to know.

He’d come out, in time, it was inevitable but the world already knew enough about him and it made Harley feel as if he had some kind of power that he got to keep this one private thing to himself. Literally, no one else knew. He suspected that his mother and father probably had their suspicions, or just outright knew and hadn’t said anything, but no one at school knew and Harley’s habit of finding a holiday romance with a pretty girl whenever he went on vacation had definitely painted him as a playboy in the media’s eyes.

Harley honestly felt a little conflicted because he really resented the fact that just because he’d been seen making out with girls in public meant that everyone just assumed he was straight, as if the fact he could be bisexual would never be considered until he came out and said it. There were times when Harley considered coming out, maybe having someone as high profile as him come out as bisexual would do someone some good somewhere but he knew it wasn’t on the cards until this plane controversy was over.

He could see the “Harley Stark only came out to save his reputation” headlines coming, and that wasn’t shit he needed to deal with. For the time being, Harley was perfectly happy living in his own private little bisexual paradise and enjoying the random crushes that would spout up every now and again.

Peter Parker was shaping up to be Harley’s latest one.

Harley recognised Peter’s face, clearly they’d been going to the same school for years but it wasn’t until Peter had come to his rescue in the bathroom a few days before that Harley had taken any notice of the boy. It wasn’t that Harley had gone out of his way to ignore Peter, but he honestly could not remember the name Peter Parker ever being spoken about all that much. Maybe he has just been too wrapped up in himself to pay any real attention.

It was annoying, because Harley was finding himself drawn to Peter now and it was frustrating to think they could have had years to become friends but didn’t. Peter’s story about his parents dying in a plane crash had made a big impact on Harley, seeing how much his actions had had an affect on someone firsthand was haunting him.

Harley had followed Peter on Instagram the night after his panic attack. He had then spent around an hour scrolling back through Peter’s profile and finding himself only growing more and more fond of the guy. He was _such _a nerd but he was so cute about it, and he was sure that smile could light up the whole of New York City on its own.

So, fine, Harley had a crush but he wasn’t going to indulge himself.

From what little he could make out from Peter’s profile; he could definitely tell that Peter was more than likely a very private person who would not appreciate the attention that a human disaster like Harley Stark crashing into his life would bring.

What Harley had neglected to consider, however, was that he only followed 27 people on Instagram and the sudden addition of a 28th had sent a lot of people in Peter’s direction to investigate.

Harley’s cocky comments hadn’t helped. Peter’s latest post was one of him looking adorable with his curls spilling out over his eyes and a big goofy grin on his face as he wore a NASA shirt.

There was no getting away from it now. Harley Stark had one almighty crush.

*

Michelle Jones, to contrary belief, was not an angry or aggressive person. She was a person who _got _angry and aggressive whenever she perceived injustice and it was simply the case that Michelle found injustice creeping in almost every corner of the world. It simply wasn’t fair or right that some people were born into immense privilege and wealth and did nothing with it but became a nuisance to society and a borderline criminal, just like their father and his father before him.

She tried not to hate people; she really did. Hating everyone she came across whilst simultaneously caring so deeply about as many issue as she did wouldn’t really make sense. Michelle was a reasonable person, she didn’t believe that anyone was born bad or wrong, if they ended up that way is was down to some circumstances in life or their upbringing. And, for those reasons, she believed that everyone had the ability and should be given the chance to improve when they fucked up.

It was just hard for her not to hate someone when they kept fucking up and learned absolutely no lessons from doing so.

Harley Stark was one of those people. She didn’t think he was an evil person, just not a very good one, selfish. He acted with no regard for his own or others personal safety and maybe she could just about deal with that but when his bullheadedness dragged Peter Parker down into its midst, then Michelle started to have a very serious problem with the world’s most famous teenager.

For Peter Parker was everything that Harley Stark wasn’t. His total opposite. Peter was kind and good, he always thought of others before himself, and he wasn’t afraid to stand up for what he believed in and defend his friends. He’d been the only person Michelle had ever felt she could trust enough to come out to, and he had given her so much unconditional love when she had done so that Michelle was sure that this boy would go down in the history books. He was something special.

His was a life on injustice. Fate handed him a shitty hand and it made Michelle want to slap fate in the face, Peter didn’t deserve to have been orphaned, he didn’t deserve to live in near poverty and he didn’t deserve to witness his uncle die right in front of him. These were traumas Peter carried every day, but they were traumas he hid behind a dorky grin and an infectious sense of optimism. Peter was the kind of person who made you better by just being in his presence.

But he was also no push over. He’d known hardship, he’d known struggle, he looked them in the face every day and shot them the middle finger. All the while managing to keep his puppy-ish charm and, amazingly, an overwhelming sense of childhood innocence that drove everyone around him to _ProtectProtectProtect_.

He had more life in his little finger than Harley Stark.

“It’s not the end of the world, MJ” Peter said with a smile as he rolled his eyes, they were eating their lunch on the bleachers as they did every day, “I don’t mind it.”

“But you hate attention” MJ exclaimed, “You hate people looking at you and asking you questions-“

“It’s _different _on the Internet” Peter said with a shrug, “I don’t know. They’re not actually here, getting all in my face. I can deal with that. I’m going to private my profile when I get home, anyway, will that make you happy?”

“Moderately” MJ muttered, “I just want you to be safe.”

Peter gave her a sad smile and carried on eating his lunch. MJ watched him as his ADHD took hold of him somewhat as his left leg began to shake up and down and his eyes darted across their surroundings, almost as if he was expecting someone. The action made MJ’s heart ache. Peter was changing. He’d always been fairly anxious, always been fairly vulnerable but it was becoming more and more prevalent. She could feel him slowly withdrawing into his own world and felt powerless to stop it.

*

“Interesting angle kiddo” Tony said over a Stark family dinner that night

“How’d you mean?” a semi-disinterested Harley asked

“Well, if FRIDAY is anything to go by, you spent the majority of Wednesday night ranting to Harry about what a ‘freakin’ stupid idea’ my summer internship is” Tony replied, “Forgive me if I’m missing something but that wasn’t exactly pre-emptive of you announcing it on Twitter without our say so.”

“I fail to see your point” Harley replied non-chalantly.

“You’re up to something” Pepper said suspiciously, “You wouldn’t have as big of a change of heart about this as you apparently have done without reason.”

“Maybe – and consider this seriously – I’m actually taking your punishment seriously” Harley replied somewhat angrily, “And maybe, I want to be part of the selection process considering you’re forcing me to spend the whole summer with some kid.”

Pepper and Tony shared a look. Morgan smirked into her peas.

“It’s very cute that you think you’ve earned back the right to make decisions” Tony snapped, “If I was any kind of decent father, I’d pair you up with your worst enemy. But as it goes-“

“We were going to let you pick the intern yourself anyway” Pepper finished for her husband, “With final approval from us, of course, and you will have criteria to assess candidates against.”

“Which basically means you aren’t allowed to pick Harry!” Morgan piped up. Harley grinned at his little sister as she descended into a fit of giggles. Any mention of Harry – even from Morgan herself – normally reduced her to a fit of giggles.

“I can get on board with that” Harley said brightly, “….Thanks?”

“No, this isn’t a nice thing we’re doing for you” Pepper snapped, “We are giving you a chance to make us proud and to take something seriously. Show us that you can be trusted and learn a lesson.”

“Right” Harley sighed, looking down at his plate.

“Last chance saloon, kiddo” Tony carried on, “We’ve had a talk and if you don’t manage to keep yourself in line over this summer, we’ve got a nice boarding school in England just waiting for you.”

“You wouldn’t” an outraged Harley replied.

“We would” Pepper said angrily, raising her eyebrows as if inviting her rebellious son to dare try and talk back to her. He knew better than that. “D’you know how much our stocks and public relations have fallen since your little flying joyride?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, are the billionaires down a few bucks?” Harley shot back, OK so maybe he wasn’t smart enough to know better, “How sad for you. Are we only going to buy three more private islands this year instead of six?!”

“You do realise that we run a massive company” Tony said coldly, “And that when our stocks drop, and we have to lay people off, those people aren’t billionaires. They don’t have the option of hiding out in one of their four homes. They are ordinary working people and they will suffer.”

“As if you give a fuck!” Harley exclaimed, “What difference does it make to you?”

“Please stop shouting” Morgan begged, covering her ears. Harley hadn’t even realised that he’d stood up in his anger, panting as he made intense eye-contact with his father.

"The welfare of the people who work for me – from everyone in the board to the people who clean the bathrooms – matter a lot to me” Tony said slowly, clearly being very careful over his words as not to say something he would later regret to his son, “Maybe when they start mattering to you, stop being faceless cogs in a machine, then maybe you and I will be on the same page.”

“So, you’re saying it’s my fault if you have to lay people off and some family in Brooklyn go hungry and don’t have water?” Harley scoffed.

“If the reason we’ve had to do so is because your actions have scared off investors and sent us into a financial downturn, then yes” Tony replied bluntly. Pepper pursed her lips and continued to hug a now crying Morgan.

“Right” Harley breathed heavily, “Fine”

He stormed out of dinner and to his bedroom, making sure to slam the door extra hard. And maybe, just maybe, he cried himself to sleep.

*

“Fuck shit fuck fuck fuck” Peter whispered to himself as he sat on his bed, tucking his knees into his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

Maybe it would be alright.

Maybe Phil would be in a good mood.

Maybe, for once, Peter would be good enough. Maybe. Just maybe.

*

Harley was not in a good mood when he walked into school the next morning. The argument with his parents was still weighing heavily on his mind, and he had woken up to find his usual packed lunch prepared by Pepper but with no friendly note telling him to have a good day attached to it. It was only a little thing, but the absence really hurt, especially when he noticed Morgan still had one on hers so it wasn’t as if his Mom hadn’t had time to write a note for him as well.

_Have you heard yourself?_

_You sound like a child._

_Morgan is a six-year old girl._

_You are sixteen._

_You don’t need a note from Mommy to tell you to have a good day._

_Pathetic._

In his bad mood, Harley found solace in scrolling through a fan page on Instagram. He knew it was all bullshit, probably written by some overweight thirteen-year-old with nothing better to fixate on, probably living in some nowhere town in Nebraska. But seeing edited pictures of his face surrounded by love hearts, captioned with messages of love and a reminder of what a good person he was (he had no idea what he’d done to give them such a false idea, but it was a nice comfort all the same) provided Harley with at least one source of comfort.

False comfort, they didn’t know him, but comfort was comfort.

Unfortunately, Harley couldn’t even scroll through his phone without causing trouble as his lack of direction lead him to collide with someone in the school hallway. They both groaned as the other person dropped all their stuff and Harley instinctively knelt down to help them pick it up.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry” Peter Parker’s voice rang out over again, “I-I wasn’t l-looking wh-where I was going, crap, sorry”

Harley felt his heart drop.

Of course, he’d collided with his nerdy little crush.

_Don’t bush don’t blush don’t you fucking dare blush_

As Peter’s face came into focus, Harley was somewhat taken aback by the sight of his blood-shot eyes and what looked to be a large red mark on his cheek.

They hadn’t collided that hard, surely?

“Me who should be apologising” Harley said as they both stood up, “Too busy looking at my phone, this one’s on me.”

“Right” Peter said quickly, trying to move past.

Harley wanted to stop him and chat, maybe ask him how he was, but before he got the chance Peter Parker was halfway down the corridor out of earshot. Harley kicked the nearest locker.

_You just can’t do anything right, can you?_

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, just wanted to say a massive thank you, I've been blown away by the response to this fic so far


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girl moaned.
> 
> “So, we have to put up with Harley Stark and Eugene Thompson in the same class?” she muttered to her friend. Harley pretended the comment didn’t sting.
> 
> Peter gave him a sympathetic smile and a small shrug.
> 
> “Actually, we’ve done a swap” Mr. Harrington replied, a more professional teacher would probably have hidden the glee on his face, “But Eugene and Harley have swapped classes.”
> 
> Harley couldn’t help but feel a little better as everyone in the class seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, none more so than Peter who smiled to himself and scribbled something down in his notebook.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harley is a thirsty boy in this chapter, fair warning

**Off The Rails.**

_Chapter 4._

The Thawing Of Ice. 

“D’you really think I look nice, May?”

“You look so handsome, honey. Do you think MJ would give us a physical version? I want to frame it and put it on the wall!”

“I’ll ask her. It is a nice photo, I guess”

*

He was doing it on purpose, he had to be. Ever since Harley had noticed Peter and developed what was now turning into a very serious crush, the smaller boy had seemingly done everything in his power to make Harley fall for him a little more every day. The latest Instagram post was a god damn crime and self-centered as ever, Harley convinced himself Peter had posted it to specifically torture him and him alone. Being followed by Harley and then gaining almost 5,000 new followers as a result had clearly spurred Peter into posting more and Harley was a little relieved that the boy seemed to actually be embracing the attention instead of shying away from it.

The effect was not having the same impact in person. Peter was still as shy and adorable as ever at school, though Harley had noticed a certain intensity between Peter and Eugene Thompson a few days before which made the billionaire’s son take a mental note that Peter was not someone who would just sit back and let someone treat them like crap. He had a limit and he would bite back. Harley liked that as well. More and more he found himself thinking about Peter during the day, in classes, during Gym, at lunch, in study sessions no matter where he was Harley’s mind would drift off and a dopey smile would stretch across his face as he thought of his secret little crush.

A secret little crush who definitely didn’t like him back and didn’t even talk to Harley whilst they were at school. But why would he? They had no classes together; their schedules were such that they were always on opposite ends of the school and Peter sat with his own friends at dinner.

“Snap out of it, Keener” Harry snapped one Thursday afternoon, “You have been in your own little world for the past hour and it’s annoying. We’ve got a project to finish.”

“Sorry” Harley mumbled, pulling himself out of a very appealing day dream where he and Peter got ice-creams and spent the day in Central Park.

“What’s got into you lately, man?” Harry asked, “Is it all this shit with your Dad? Being publicly ghosted like that has to suck.”

“Nah” Harley replied honestly (He was upset that Tony had outright ignored his declaration of love on social media but it wasn’t plaguing his mind too much), “Other stuff on my mind”

“You normally only get like this when you have a crush” Harry replied with a smile. Harley felt a small blush creep across his cheeks. “Holy fuck – you do! I knew it! Who do you have a crush on?”

“It doesn’t matter” Harley muttered, “They don’t like me back anyway. It’s stupid.”

“You’re Harley Stark, man!” Harry exclaimed, “You could get any girl you want.”

Harley took a deep breath.

“What if it’s not a girl?” Harley asked

“Excuse me?” Harry stuttered, “Are we about to have the conversation I think we’re about to have?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re about to tell me that you’re bi” Harry grinned, “Well, you are, aren’t you?”

“Maybe” Harley blushed, “How did you know?”

“You’re my best friend, dude” Harry said with a laugh, “I’ve known for years. No judgements here man, you work through your little crush. I’m sure, if he swings your way, he’ll end up falling for you. Don’t lose hope, but please try and focus on this project. I have Ivy Leagues to prove myself to.”

*

“What are you after?” Tony asked Harley with narrow, suspicious eyes over dinner that evening, “First me, now Harry, what’re you trying to pull.”

“Can’t I just randomly appreciate the people I love?” Harley shot back, “Harry helped me out with a problem I was having today, and I just wanted to let him know I appreciated it.”

“What was your problem, honey?” Pepper asked curiously.

“Nothing important” Harley said with a shrug

“Really?” Pepper asked, “Seems kinda like it was considering Harry helping you out with it prompted such a passionate response from you. It’s clearly deeper than him helping you out with Math homework.”

“Yeah, it was” Harley admitted, “But, if it’s alright, I don’t really feel like telling you guys. At least not yet. It’s kinda private.”

“Thought we’d revoked his right to privacy for the summer?” Tony asked Pepper, who rolled her eyes.

“Hard thing to enforce, he’s allowed to have secrets” Pepper replied, “As long as you’re not on drugs or no one’s getting hurt, I’m not going to force you to tell me what’s been bothering you.”

“I’m not on drugs and no one’s getting hurt” Harley assured her, “The only thing is maybe my pride a little bit, but I guess you guys probably think I could do with that.”

“It wouldn’t hurt” Tony replied with a shrug, “Any thoughts on intern candidates yet?”

“A few” Harley mused, “I feel a bit weird having to chose between my classmates though, can’t we just do open applications and then pick from them? I feel like nerdy Willy Wonka”

Pepper smiled. The first time someone had reacted positively to one of his attempts at a joke for weeks.

“I’ll set up an online application page tomorrow” she replied, “But you are sitting down and helping us wade through them all”

“That’s fine” Harley said with a nod before taking a deep breath, “There’s something I need to tell you, and I don’t want you to be mad or hate me.”

Tony went pale whilst Pepper pursed her lips.

“What have you done?” Tony asked

“Nothing” Harley replied somewhat defensively, “I just….I was thinking, the stuff with Harry, maybe I should tell you what it was about. Part of it…I dunno….I just don’t want you to look at me different, y’know?”

“Honey, you don’t need to tell us anything before you’re ready” Pepper said kindly, “Don’t do it just because you feel like you should, it has to be when you feel comfortable. We can wait.”

Harley exhaled. His mom was so great. From what he’d just said, she’d probably been able to piece together enough clues to come to the right conclusion herself anyway, so maybe they would never have to have this conversation. Harry had promised him he wouldn’t say a word to anyone but life had taught Harley that secrets tended to end up going public eventually, and he didn’t want his parents to find out he liked boys through some tweet or article from a click-bait site.

“We’ll always love you” Tony added, “No matter what”

He didn’t make eye-contact with his son as he’d said it, but Harley had gone weeks without a kind word from his father so the words still provoked an emotional response from him. Teary eyed, Harley jumped out of his seat and flung himself into his father’s arms.

“I’m sorry for the last few weeks, Dad, I really am” he sobbed, “And I meant it when I said I’m going to try and be better. I don’t want to disappoint you anymore.”

“You…don’t….you don’t disappoint me” Tony replied shakily, awkwardly patting his son’s back. Pepper looked away so neither of them would notice the tears in her eyes. “Just please start trying to make better choices.”

“I will” Harley promised, “I will.”

*

“Your Aunt’s out for the night” Phil informed Peter as the boy walked through the door, “A few of the girls from work got their hands on some tickets to see Hammilton last minute, so it’s just me and you.”

“Oh. OK.” Peter replied quietly, he was a little hurt. He and May had been planning on saving every penny that could afford to in order to go and see the musical together eventually. It had been over two years though and they still hadn’t managed to save enough to buy half of one ticket, let alone two. May deserved to go. He was happy for her.

“Good day at school?” Phil asked as Peter sat down at the kitchen table.

“It was alright” Peter shrugged, “Did May show you the picture that MJ took of me? Everyone really likes it, it got like two thousand likes on Instagram. That was pretty cool.”

“Peter, I asked you how school was, not how active your social media is” Phil snapped, “D’you really think I care about how many people like a dorky photo of you?”

Peter blushed a little.

“No, sorry” he muttered, “I…err, the rest of school was good. Just kinda boring really. Not much happened other than Ned nearly falling down the stairs which was quite funny.”

“Why was it funny?” Phil asked, almost accusingly

“Just…well, he pulled a…a funny facial expression and it was funny” Peter stammered, he hadn’t exactly been planning on being questioned over this.

“I doubt Ned would have found it very funny” Phil said casually as he got up from the kitchen table and headed to stack some plates away, “He was probably a bit scared and embarrassed, maybe it wasn’t the nicest thing to laugh at him?”

“He didn’t actually fall down the stairs” Peter said quietly.

“Even so, I think a decent friend would make sure their friend was OK” Phil carried on as he continued to put the plates back in the cupboard, “Can you come and help me with these? You’re not the only one who’s been in a school all day, you know, if I have the energy to tidy this dump up then so do you?”

Peter nodded and followed Phil into the kitchen, his mind kind of lost in whether he’d been mean in laughing about Ned losing his footing on the stairs. They had been pretty high up as well, if Ned had actually fallen, he probably would have broken his neck. That wouldn’t have been funny. Ned was kind of breathless after the event as well, maybe he had been more scared than he’d been letting on and had needed Peter to be nice to him instead of just laughing at him.

“Sh-should I s-say sorry to N-Ned?” he shakily asked Phil a few moments later.

“Might be worth it” Phil said with a shrug, “I’m not trying to say you’re a bad friend, Pete, just that you could stand to be a little more sensitive.”

“Yeah” Peter breathed uneasily, “Maybe I could be. Sorry. Th-thanks, Phil.”

“Anytime bud” Phil said with a smile. As Peter turned to leave to get his phone and message Ned, an incredibly loud crash rang out across the apartment. Peter hated loud noises. Instinctively, he crouched down where he was and pressed his hands to his ears and let out a little sob.

“GOD DAMN IT” Phil shouted. Peter turned around to see about three plates that had been smashed to pieces on the floor, appearing to have fallen from where Peter had just been standing, “Well done Peter! Nice work, d’you really think your aunt has the money to be shelling out for new plates?! We both know she doesn’t have that kind of money.”

“S-s-sorry” Peter moaned, “I-I could’ve sw-sworn t-they weren’t th-that cl-close to the edge.”

“Just be more careful next time” Phil snarled, approaching Peter and pretty much dragging him back over into the kitchen, “I want this all cleaned up by the time I get back.”

“Where are you g-going?” Peter asked

“To see if I can find some replacements” Phil snapped, “God knows I can barely afford it either, but your aunt told me these were wedding presents she and Ben got from your parents. Imagine how upset she’d be if she found out you carelessly broke them.”

“Oh” Peter shuddered, “OK. Th-thanks Phil.”

“I’m not doing this for you” Phil snarled, “You’re such a clutz, kid. You really need to start watching where you’re going.”

As Phil grabbed his car keys and went to leave, muttering something about always having to solve the kids stupid problems, Peter felt himself begin to shiver and he curled into a ball on the kitchen floor the second the door shut behind the man.

The sobs came effortlessly.

*

*

Harley was being moved Biology classes. Quite why such a decision had been made less than a month before summer vacation was a little beyond him, but apparently his grades were too high for him to remain in the class he was in and achieve his greatest potential. The news had come as something of a surprise as Harley had never really considered himself to be all that great at Biology, but he had hated his previous class so was happy for the change.

The happiness only grew when Harley walked into his new class and found only six other kids in there, one of whom was a jumpy looking Peter Parker. Harley’s heartbeat increased almost comically as the cute nerd came into his eye-line and he felt a smile creep across his face.

“Mr. Stark, you made it” the teacher – Mr. Harrington – said proudly as Harley walked in, “Welcome, welcome, make yourself at home.”

Harley nodded and sat himself down next to Peter, who was the only kid sitting by himself. Peter gave him a small smile as he sat, which made Harley’s stomach do a back flip.

“Why is he here?” a girl Harley was sure he’d made out with once but couldn’t remember asked from the other side of the room.

“After a discussion between myself and Mr. Delmar last night, we decided that Harley would be better suited to being in this class from September” Mr. Harrington replied, “And then we decided that we may as well break Harley into our exclusive little club before this semester’s over.”

The girl moaned.

“So, we have to put up with Harley Stark and Eugene Thompson in the same class?” she muttered to her friend. Harley pretended the comment didn’t sting.

Peter gave him a sympathetic smile and a small shrug.

“Actually, we’ve done a swap” Mr. Harrington replied, a more professional teacher would probably have hidden the glee on his face, “But Eugene and Harley have swapped classes.”

Harley couldn’t help but feel a little better as everyone in the class seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, none more so than Peter who smiled to himself and scribbled something down in his notebook.

“So, it this like the elite class or something?” Harley whispered to him.

“You could say that” Peter replied

“And you don’t mind me sitting next to you?” Harley asked.

Peter gave him a pointed look.

“It’s a free world” he said with a shrug

“Who knows, maybe we’ll become best friends” Harley found himself saying, before immediately hearing himself and wishing for the ground to swallow him up.

“Yeah, maybe” Peter replied softly and Harley felt like his heart was going to shatter in two. _This boy is going to be the death of me_. “I guess at the very least I can have a lab partner now. Everyone else always kind of paired off without me.”

“Who did you work with, then?” Harley asked.

Peter grinned and gestured over to Mr. Harrington who was currently having some major problems switching a simple projector on. Harley grinned but it didn’t last, instead he just looked angrily at the other kids in the class.

How could they not want to spend every second of this class with Peter? Well, more fool them, because that’s what Harley was going to do.

“That must’ve really sucked” Harley chuckled.

“Yeah, not the best” Peter said with a smile, “I guess you’re not so bad. And thanks for following me on Instagram, I love getting notifications day and night.”

“Are you being genuine or sarcastic?”

“You’re in the elite class now, Stark” Peter shot back with a smile and wink and a _fuck, he can be flirtatious and smooth as well? I’m fucked I’m fucked I’m so-beyond-fucked it’s not even funny_ “I’ll leave you to figure out that one for yourself.”

Harley smiled at Peter and noticed that despite the random burst of flirtatious confidence, his sleeves were pulled down over his wrists and he seemed rather on edge and bouncy.

“Want my cell number as well?” Harley offered, “If we’re going to be lab partners, it makes sense.”

“Fine” Peter sighed, “But get ready for loads of Star Wars memes. It’s kinda what I do when I’m bored.”

“I can live with that” Harley replied with a smile.

_I'm not saying I'm already in love with him, I'm just definitely not NOT in love with him_

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys, hope you all enjoyed!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wow” Peter said as he raised his eyebrows, “The dead uncle card. You haven’t played that one in a while, Ned, I think the last time was when you were trying to persuade me it was alright if I took the last chocolate muffin at Starbucks.”
> 
> “Did it work?”
> 
> Peter grinned.
> 
> “Look, maybe applying and getting the internship would be nice” he replied, “But I just don’t have the time, if I’m going to spend my time working over the summer, I need to be getting paid. Money’s really tight and May and Phil want me to get a proper job.”
> 
> “Phil?” MJ snapped suddenly, putting her book down, “Since when did Phil start getting a say in what you do with your life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok guys not to like toot my own horn but i think this is the best chapter yet. idk it all felt like it came together when i was writing it.

**Off The Rails.**

_Chapter 5._

Harley Stark Breaks The Internet (again)

@AnnaElliott

no one:

harley stark: let’s fall in love in my dad’s lab over the summer

**63.1k **Retweets **39.7k **Likes

@MatthewWyatt

so if I want harley stark to fall in love with me all i gotta do is pretend i can science?

**75.2k **Retweets **92.9k **Likes

@ShannonCamperama

A very transparent, cynical act to get back in the publics good books…..and it’s worked.

**947 **Retweets **1.5k **Likes

@LindsayThomas18

We’re all gonna be boo boo the fool when this internship goes to one of his friends

**5.3k **Retweets **2.7k **Likes

*

“So….gonna apply?” Harley asked Peter as they sat down together a little before their next Biology class was due to begin. They’d taken to arriving a few minutes early for their Tuesday afternoon sessions following lunch.

“For what?” Peter asked casually, taking a bite of his apple.

“The internship” Harley prompted.

“Oh that” Peter said before shrugging and taking another bite of the apple, “Hadn’t really thought about it, I can barely get through two hours a week with you, I’m not sure I could last a whole summer.”

_Ouch._

“You’re breaking my heart, Parker” Harley replied pulling an overexaggerated sad face. Peter grinned.

“I’m just messing, I’ve actually grown to like our time together” Peter replied with a genuine smile, “You’re good for me.”

“I am?”

“Yeah, you make me realize that Flash was wrong about me” Peter said with a cheeky grin, “I’m not the biggest douchebag in the school.”

“Wow” Harley replied, raising his eyebrows, “Someone’s gotten a little cocky since they’ve been friends with the billionaire.”

“Ahh, but you love me” Peter reminded him, “Everyone loves me.”

_I do I do I do fucking love you if you asked me to abandon my life, my family and religion to move to a secluded mountain range with you and start an elk farm right here right now I’d do it. _

“You’re mildly likeable, and an acceptable project partner” Harley managed to get out without any signs of the lovesick stammer he’d briefly stumbled into the previous week. He’d convinced Peter he just suffered from asthma every so often and had nearly melted the next day when Peter sheepishly turned up with a newly bought inhaler “just in case”. The inhaler was now pride of place on Harley’s book shelf. His family were very confused.

Stupid crush.

“High praise indeed” Peter shot back, “Seen as you though you’re currently the number five trending topic on Twitter, these are compliments I can’t afford to turn down. I mean – Kendall Jenner’s new pet bunny has only attracted twenty-five thousand more tweets than you in the past six hours.”

“Ooh, you checking my social media stats, Parker?” Harley replied

Peter blushed a little.

“Being friends with a famous person is fun” he admitted, “Me and Ned like to track your stats and see if they ever spike for any particular reason.”

“And do they?”

“Only when you post pictures of your biceps” Peter said shyly, “So maybe do that more….y’know, if you want more followers and stuff-_hey, the rest of the class is here!_”

Harley cleared his throat as the rest of the class entered and took their seats. Mr. Harrington, fresh with a nice chicken soup stain on his tie, appeared just after them and both boys were clearly grateful for the distraction. Parker had turned the same shade of red as his apple.

_Win for Stark._

_This just got interesting._

*

@MatthewWyatt

Harley Stark is actually trying to murder us all this week and he may well succeed.

**132.4k **Retweets **209.1k **Likes

@Sammie10000

All I care about is saving the planet….and Harley Stark’s dimples.

**80.9k **Retweets **117.5k **Likes

@DarrenSimons

Note to self: if ever in trouble for a plane hijacking, get yourself some dimples and some nice lighting. It goes a long way.

**49.2k **Retweets **57.4k **Likes

@harleystarkfandom3000

THIS IS WHY WE LOVE OUR BOY

**63.8k **Retweets **32.5k **Likes

*

“I cannot believe that I’m about to say this, kiddo, but well done” Tony said awkwardly as the Stark family plus Uncle Rhodey and Auntie Nat sat down for the dinner that night.

Harley nearly choked on his food.

“What with?” he dared ask.

“Your hyping up the Internship on social media is doing us all some good” Pepper told him, “Not only is it showing the public and the media that you’re capable of being good for more than getting yourself in trouble, it’s making Stark Industries generate some very positive press about embracing the leaders of tomorrow.”

“You’re….welcome?” Harley replied, a little worried that if he became too cocky from the praise he’d end up being shouted down and sent away

Pepper smiled and rolled her eyes.

“It’s an initiative I’ve wanted to focus on for a while, but just haven’t found the time” she said, “S.I. needs to be looking to the future and you may have just inadvertently given us the kickstart we need.”

“How so?” Harley asked. Rhodey shifted in his chair with pride.

“We’re opening up a youth initiative, headed by Rhodes and Bruce” Tony said with a smile, “Gonna select a few of the best applicants from this internship instead of just one. Scatter them about the place.”

“Oh” Harley replied, feeling a little crestfallen but desperately trying to hide it (_so much for my dream of Peter and Peter alone applying and getting to spend my whole summer with him and have him fall in love with me and then we kiss on the roof as we lay on a blanket and look at shooting stars)_, “So….there’s going to be more than one kid working with me.”

Now it was Tony’s turn to almost choke on his food.

“Hell no, kiddo” he said with a laugh, “You’re still getting your own private little nerd to show you how to behave like a reasonable, responsible teenager for the summer. The other nine interns will have the pleasure of working within other areas of the business.”

“Isn’t that a bit unfair on the poor kid who ends up getting shafted with just me?” Harley asked. Pepper shot Tony a look before patting Harley’s hand.

“No one ever said anything about you just doing lab work y’know” she reminded him, “You and the lucky intern can choose to work where you want, when you want.”

Harley felt a little better.

There was only one issue now. How to get Peter Parker to even apply.

*

“So….you’re gonna apply, right?” Ned asked keenly the next day, “I mean…Harley clearly wants you to which means you’ll probably get it-“

“Yeah, which means if I do get it, I won’t deserve it” Peter replied testily. Ned had already been bugging him about it for most of their lunch break.

“Oh come on, Peter, we both know you’re the smartest kid in this school” Ned said with an eye-roll, “If you did apply, you would 1000% get in off your own merit. And you know it.”

“He’s right” MJ hummed from behind her book, “Not that I think you should apply. You know how I feel about the Starks.”

“Oh war crimes shmor crimes” Ned replied dismissively, “Peter, I really think you should apply. This could be an amazing opportunity for you, a once in a lifetime thing that could actually change your life for good. I think Ben would want you to do it.”

“Wow” Peter said as he raised his eyebrows, “The dead uncle card. You haven’t played that one in a while, Ned, I think the last time was when you were trying to persuade me it was alright if I took the last chocolate muffin at Starbucks.”

“Did it work?”

Peter grinned.

“Look, maybe applying and getting the internship would be nice” he replied, “But I just don’t have the time, if I’m going to spend my time working over the summer, I need to be getting paid. Money’s really tight and May and Phil want me to get a proper job.”

“Phil?” MJ snapped suddenly, putting her book down, “Since when did _Phil _start getting a say in what you do with your life.”

Peter blushed a little.

“He’s moving in” he muttered, playing with the sleeve of his hoodie.

“Moving in?” MJ replied incredulously, “They’ve only been dating for like three months.”

“It’s not a big deal” Peter shrugged, “They’re getting pretty serious, and we live closer to Phil’s work than he does in his current place. It just makes sense.”

“OK, those are May’s thoughts, let’s hear yours” MJ sighed, “Or were you not allowed to voice them before your aunt moved a guy you barely know into your home?”

“I do know him” Peter muttered.

“Dude, she has a point” Ned piped up, “Are you OK with this?”

“Yes!”

“Did she ask you?”

“Yes!”

“And you said it was OK?”

“Yeah, I said it was OK” Peter snapped.

“Because you’re actually OK with it?” MJ asked, “Or because you’re trying to convince yourself that you’re OK with it because you’re a nice person, too nice, and you think it’ll make May sad if you say no?”

She’d hit the nail on the head. But Peter didn’t need to let her know that.

“D’you guys maybe wanna stop interfering in my fucking _life _for two seconds?” he exploded, “Ned’s trying to force me into some stupid internship I don’t wanna do, you’re trying to make out like May’s a bad parent _again_. I’m sick of it. My life. My choices. Got it?”

He didn’t give them a chance to respond before he stormed out. Ned and MJ looked at one another and sighed. They’d been here before. They’d be here again. All they could do was wait until Peter calmed himself down and decided he wanted to talk to them.

Or, he wouldn’t and they’d pretend the whole thing never happened.

It was usually the latter.

*

“You good Parker?” came the voice of Harley Stark. A shaking Peter looked up from his phone to find the young celebrity standing over him, such was their height difference it felt almost as if Harley was a skyscraper as Peter sat on the floor. Quite the role reversal from a few weeks ago.

“Oh, you know, just sick of people trying to control my life” he sighed.

Harley’s face lit up.

“Finally. A problem I can actually help you with” he said enthusiastically, moving himself to sit down next to Peter on the bathroom floor, “Take it from someone who had their first PR manager at the age of three. Being controlled sucks.”

“Yeah” Peter sighed, “To be honest, I’m kind of mad at you as well.”

Harley’s face dropped and he frowned.

“Oh?” he replied, “Sorry….for whatever it is I did?”

“It’s not a massive deal” Peter breathed, “Just….please don’t message my friends about me and go behind my back to get me to make decisions I don’t want to. It’s a…well, I have a thing about that.”

“I’m sorry” Harley replied quickly and honestly, “That was really interfering and nosey of me and I shouldn’t have done it. It won’t happen again; you have my word.”

Peter smiled, a genuine smile this time.

“Thanks” he said with a slight chuckle, “Damn, it really is that easy to apologize. You’d think that Ned and MJ would’ve learned that by now if you have.”

“Well, for obvious reasons I won’t pry too hard” Harley said kindly, “But given that you’re hiding in the bathrooms instead of attending your afternoon classes, which I know is very not-a-Peter-Parker-move, you’re clearly pretty upset by it. Maybe it might help….to share?”

Peter grinned.

“You’ll think it’s stupid” he said

“I won’t” Harley replied. _Nothing you say could ever be considered stupid by me._

“Alright” Peter said with a shrug, “So you know how I’m an orphan and I also have a dead uncle…”

“Whoa, OK, we’re really going in deep” Harley wheezed, “Yes. I do. Sorry about all that, by the way, but continue.”

“Well, my Aunt’s got a new boyfriend who she really likes” Peter explained, “And he’s going to move in with us over the summer, but MJ and Ned think that my aunt hasn’t really taken me into consideration and asked how I feel about it. As if how I feel matters-“

“How you feel about it matters, of course it does” Harley snapped, “That’s a big change in your life, man, that’s your home. Of course it matters how you feel about it.”

“I know that it’s just, they _did _ask me and I said _yes_” Peter moaned, “But that’s not good enough for MJ, she has to pry and act like I can’t make up my own mind unless it’s parroting her opinion.”

“And what’s her opinion?”

“That it’s too soon and I shouldn’t be afraid to say so if I don’t want Phil to move in”

“D’you like this Phil guy?”

“He’s alright” Peter said with a shrug, not making eye-contact with Harley, “I don’t know him all that well, but I’ll get to know him, right? If he’s living with us?”

“I guess” Harley said slowly, “Look, I think your friends are just trynna look out for you, man. From what it sounds like you’ve been through the ringer the past couple of years, I think they’re just worried about you and want what’s best for you. Having _actual _friends who _actually _care about you is rare. I have fifty million Instagram followers, right, and I can count my actual friends on one hand.”

Peter gave Harley a considerate look.

“Have I been a dick?” he asked

“No” Harley said, shaking his head, “You’ve not been a dick. I think you need to speak to your friends, maybe speak to your aunt and then yourself and make sure you’re doing what’s best for you. Don’t live to please other people, man, you gotta come first.”

Peter nodded.

“Thanks” he breathed shakily, “You find new ways to surprise me every day, Stark.”

“It’s been said before” Harley said with a quick laugh, “And – just hypothetically – if I didn’t want to spend my summer cooped up at home with some dude I barley know, I’d probably jump at the chance of a well-paid internship.”

“It’s _paid_?” Peter replied

“Of course it’s paid, you doughnut” Harley laughed, “It’s a multi-billion-dollar company on a major public relations sweetener, d’you think they were going to endorse unpaid child labor?”

Peter laughed for the first time since Harley had come in.

“Maybe I’ll think about it” he muttered, “Talk to my aunt. See what she thinks.”

“Like I say, Pete” Harley sighed, “You gotta do what’s best for you man.”

Harley patted his crush on the back and stood up to go back to class. Or smoke behind the bleachers, he’d see how his mood carried him.

“Wait!” Peter called as Harley walked towards the door, “D’you…and totally feel free to say no if you don’t want to or if you’re too busy with famous people shit….but d’you think you’d ever wanna…I dunno, hang out not in Biology class?”

Harley stopped dead in his tracks. His heart rate increasing to such an extent that he was kind of worried FRIDAY would pick up on it and his father would soon be crashing through the bathroom ceiling armed with a defibrillator and the randomly acquired inhaler.

_Get yourself together Stark you’ve literally come face to face with prime ministers, presidents and ¾ of the Kardashian family. You can answer this simple fucking question._

“Yeah” he managed to reply as he turned around and faced Peter, “Yeah….I’d really like that”

“Cool!” Peter said brightly before frowning, “Shit. Are you alright? You’ve got that look on your face again like you did last week. Did you remember your inhaler?”

_Peter Parker I would kill a man with my bare hands for your love._

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I just want to say a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who has commented, left kudos, bookmarked or even just read this story so far. The response has been incredible and so beyond my expectations so THANK YOU.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wow, I can’t believe I’ve had an actual real-life conversation with actual Harry Osborne!” Peter said sarcastically as he shut his locker.
> 
> “You good today, man?” Harley asked, “You seem extra snarky.”
> 
> “Too much exposure to you?” Peter teased before softening a little when Harley raised his eyebrows, “I forgot my final Biology report and it’s kind of stressing me out cos-“
> 
> “It’s worth 65% of your final grade for the year kiddos and it has to be in on Thursday so don’t forget it whatever you do” Harley finished for him, in what was an eerily impressive impersonation of Mr. Harrington.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not gonna lie to you people this chapter is 3k of just pure tooth rotting fluff

**Off The Rails.**

_Chapter 6._

Sometimes You Just Gotta Cut Class.

“No, no, no, no, no he can’t be doing this to me”

“Who can’t be doing what to you?”

“Mind your own business FRIDAY”

“Is this about your burgeoning crush on your classmate Peter Parker.”

“Bitch, I will de-program you.”

*

The last thing Harley ever expected to be doing on a Thursday morning less than two weeks before the end of the school year and the beginning of a summer vacation he was already grounded for was to be cutting class with Peter Parker and sitting in contented silence with him on a Subway carriage.

It all started that morning. Things had been going as per usual. Harley didn’t even think about Peter when he woke up, or when he was in the shower, or over breakfast when his dad was trying to talk to him about internship interviews, or when Harry came to drive him to school, or when he walked through the door and his eyes immediately scanned over to see if Peter was at his locker.

Which is to say that Harley completed all of those menial tasks determined not to be thinking about Peter Parker and was over focusing on any old thing that came into his eye-line. And he utterly failed. Every. Single. Time.

When he got out of bed, he spent ten minutes picking out a pair of socks for the day as it meant he wasn’t thinking about Peter. _What kind of socks does Peter wear? What kind of socks look good with these shoes? You literally wear the same kind of socks every day_

When he got in the shower, he spent the entire time reading the label of every ingredient and process of every shampoo bottle, as it meant he wasn’t thinking about Peter. W_hat kind of shampoo does Peter use? He always smells so good. I wonder if he think I smell good. I mean I know I smell good but does Peter think I smell good? Is smelling good objective or subjective? I wonder if Peter showers or has baths? Ooh Peter in the shower….._

When he went down to breakfast and was met with a barrage of questions from his Dad about when he was free for internship interviews and who he thought would make a good candidate, he answered every question with enthusiasm as it meant he wasn’t thinking about Peter. _I’m so glad Peter wants to apply now, I bet he gets it, even if he doesn’t get the one working with me at least he’ll be here all summer we can see each other every day_.

When Harry drove him to school and they bopped along to every song on the radio, Harley was happy because he wasn’t thinking about Peter and how every song he heard on their forty-minute journey somehow related to him and Peter._ Shawn Mendes gets it man; he just gets it. I wonder what kind of music Peter’s in to oh-my-god-I’ve-never-asked-Peter-what-kind-of-music-he-likes-new-topic-of-conversation-whoo._

By the time he got to school, Harley had all but given up. Peter Parker had taken up permanent residency and he wasn’t going anywhere soon. Harley felt like charging the kid rent. How had it got this bad this quickly? He was Harley god damn Stark; he was meant to be the heartbreaker. The international teen playboy with a string of broken hearts left behind wherever he went. Or so the legend goes. How was it within the space of three weeks he’d turned into some lovesick sap for some kid he’d barely noticed existed a month ago?

This wasn’t fair, this wasn’t right, Harley was stronger than this. It was a crush. Just a crush. That’s all it was, and like all crushes, it would pass.

“Hey Harley, I like your sunglasses” Peter called as Harley walked by his locker with Harry. Both boys stopped dead in their tracks. Harley because he was shocked and this was major progress – Peter had never initiated a conversation with him in public before. Harry was grinning like an idiot.

“Th-thanks, Parker” Harley said awkwardly as Harry smirked. “Err, you know Harry, right?”

“Yeah, well, I know of you” Peter replied, “I don’t think we’ve ever actually spoken before.”

“There’s no way I can reply to that without sounding like a dick so I won’t” Harry said with a smile before shaking Peter’s hand, “Good to meet you, Parker. Nice to know there’s someone who can keep my boy in line when I’m not around.”

“You’re the bad influence” Harley muttered before Harry mimicked him. Peter looked vaguely amused which made Harley happy.

“Oh sorry, how many jets have I stolen in the past month?” Harry asked pretending to count on his hands and rack his brains, “Oh yeah, that’s right, zero.”

“Sounds like you’re both as bad as each other” Peter said with a grin. “You two need a tonic, or some kind of buffer.”

“Ooh, is that a threat or a promise Petey?” Harley asked playfully. Peter did not yield or blush. Damn it.

“I never said anything about me” Peter replied with a cheeky glint in his eye, “I was thinking more about your inevitable court appointed chaperone.”

Harry laughed and patted Harley on the shoulder.

“Oh shit, this kids good” he wheezed, “I like him, Stark. We are definitely keeping him around.”

Harley grinned as Harry went off to meet some cheerleader he’d arranged to see before classes, relieved that the possibly awkward first meeting between best man and future husband had gone reasonably well.

“Wow, I can’t believe I’ve had an actual real-life conversation with actual Harry Osborne!” Peter said sarcastically as he shut his locker.

“You good today, man?” Harley asked, “You seem extra snarky.”

“Too much exposure to you?” Peter teased before softening a little when Harley raised his eyebrows, “I forgot my final Biology report and it’s kind of stressing me out cos-“

“_It’s worth 65% of your final grade for the year kiddos and it has to be in on Thursday so don’t forget it whatever you do_” Harley finished for him, in what was an eerily impressive impersonation of Mr. Harrington.

Peter smirked.

“Did you remember yours?” he asked Harley.

“Yeah” Harley said with a shrug, “That shit sounded important I wasn’t gonna forget that. Why did you?”

“A lot on” Peter muttered, his shoulders sagged and any pretense or cover up with snarky language seemed to disappear from him, “I’m so fucked.”

“No you’re not” Harley snapped, “We’ve got like two hours until Biology. Go home and get it, I bet you could make it in time”

“I can’t skip class!” Peter exclaimed.

“Well fuck then….I dunno, give me your address and your keys and I’ll go” Harley offered, “Cutting class isn’t really a big deal for me. I don’t mind.”

Peter looked as if he was genuinely considering the offer for a second before shaking his head and walking away. Harley refused to let him.

“Nah, I can’t” Peter said uneasily, “I just….fuck, why did I have to forget it? It’s going to drag down my report card and May said I can only do the internship if I get all A’s”

“Yikes, that’s a high bar and a lot of pressure” Harley observed.

“Joys of being a scholarship kid, you gotta prove you’re worth it” Peter said with a shrug.

He’s applied for the internship he’s applied for the internship he’s applied for the internship.

“Parker, cut the shit and skip first period” Harley told him, “I’ll even come with you, how about that, then at the very least you’ll have someone to speak to in detention.”

He felt very relieved when Peter nodded.

*

*

He was in Peter Parker’s bedroom. Sitting on the bottom bunk of his bunk beds, stuck awkwardly in the corner of a bedroom that Harley felt a crushing guilt over the size of. The entire room was smaller than Harley’s walk-in wardrobe. But it felt warm and cozy and inviting in a way that none of Harley’s bedrooms his entire life had felt.

It was so….so Peter and thus, it was perfect.

The geeky Star Wars memorabilia, the posters of pretty much every movie from the franchise covered his walls, there was a massive Lego Death Star with a giant “STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION” sticky not attached to it in the middle of the room.

Peter was currently tearing his wonderful bedroom upside down looking for wherever he’d misplaced his report, and time was starting to catch up with them. If Peter didn’t find the report and get out of the apartment in the next ten minutes they would definitely miss the train that would deliver them back to Midtown in time for Biology class. Harley was himself getting a bit nervous now, he couldn’t exactly hand in his own report if he wasn’t there.

Suddenly, the front door slammed shut and Harley couldn’t help but notice how on edge Peter was made by the sound.

“Is that your aunt?” Harley asked.

“Hello?” came a man’s voice from the living room.

“It’s Phil” Peter said quietly, almost more to himself than to Harley, “Hold on.”

Harley remained seated on Peter’s bottom bunk scrolling through his phone as Peter went out to explain to his aunt’s boyfriend why he was at the apartment and not at school. Harley could have sworn he heard some cross words between them but they seemed to come and go quickly as Phil was soon strolling into Peter’s room with a friendly smile on his face and holding out a hand to shake Harley’s. He complied.

“So, you really think you know where it is” Peter said hopefully as Phil put one foot on the bottom of the bunk bed ladder to reach to the top.

“Yeah, it’s here” Phil said victoriously as he handed Peter his project

“I could have sworn I filed it away” Peter said, face lighting up with relief as he checked through it to make sure everything was there.

“Found it on the coffee table last night” Phil explained, “Put it up there for safe keeping, you really should learn not to keep things laying around Pete.”

“Yeah. Right. Sorry” Peter said quietly. Harley frowned. It wasn’t Peter who should be apologizing in this situation, it should be Phil. He was the one who moved it. Then again, Harley had spent his life with Tony Stark as a father so expecting genuine and remorseful apologies from grown men always struck Harley as something of a pipe dream. He would make sure to be different when he was their age.

“Do you boys need a lift back to school?” Phil asked.

“No thank you Mr. err-“

“Westcott. The name’s Westcott” Phil filled in

“Mr. Westcott” Harley finished, “If Petey and I run back to the subway station we should still be able to make our train, and I could do with the exercise”

“I dare say it’s delayed anyway” Phil said with a chuckle, “You can never trust the public transportation in this city, not that I’d expect you to have much experience with it”

Harley smiled but did not appreciate the dig. He didn’t like this Phil dude very much.

“We should go Harley” Peter said softly, picking up his bag, “Thanks for finding it Phil.”

“No problem kiddo” Phil said as he ruffled Peter’s hair.

Harley did not like this guy at all.

*

Detention wasn’t as excruciating as it could have been. For the sake of having been able to have spent the majority of his day with Peter, Harley could say it was almost worth it. He’d got in trouble for tweeting in the middle of detention however when said tweet went unexpectedly viral and Mr. Williams had received a notification about it on his phone.

Once it was over, Harley received word that Happy was waiting for him in the parking lot. Peter, however, would be facing a walk home alone as he’d already spent his travel money for the day going to the apartment and back for his homework.

“I could lend you the money” Harley was saying as he and Peter finally left the school building, “Or I could get Uncle Happy to drop you off at your place, I’m sure he won’t mind. Not even he could resist your god damn puppy dog eyes.”

“It’s fine, really” Peter said with a genuine smile, “I’ve walked home form here a hundred times before, it’s not a bad neighborhood and I have ways of keeping myself safe.”

“What ways?” Harley asked, a little curious.

Peter grinned.

“You have to let me have some secrets, y’know” he said with a playful tone, “We’ve only just become friends, Stark, we’re not even on regular and consistent first name terms yet. I can’t be spilling all of my secrets right away.”

“Oh what it must be like to be able to have secrets and not have the world know your whole business” Harley said dreamily as they walked up to the car.

“Yes, life is very sad for the billionaire boy” Peter teased, “You have my deepest sympathies.”

“Which one is this?” Happy asked, pointing at Peter.

“He’s new” Harley explained, “His name is Peter Parker. Peter Parker, Happy Hogan. Happy Hogan, Peter Parker.”

“Nice to meet you Mr. Hogan, sir” Peter said politely as he shook Happy’s hand, “I’m sorry that you gotta bring Harley into school every day. That must suck.”

“I like this one” Happy said bluntly before getting back in the car.

“Thank you, for today” Peter said seriously once Happy was out of ear shot, “I think I would have had a total meltdown if you hadn’t kept me calm. You really helped me out.”

“All I did was offer moral support” Harley replied, somewhat bashfully, “Like I say, it would take someone with a heart of stone not to be moved by your puppy dog eyes, Parker.”

“And that’s not you anymore, I take it?” Peter asked, “You’ve got a regular beating heart like the rest of us now?”

Harley shrugged.

“Maybe” he muttered, “Being friends with you helps. Even if we’re not on consistent first name term basis yet.”

Peter grinned before giving Harley a first bump and heading off in the other direction.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, _Harley_”

“Cool. Text me when you get home so I know you’re alright. _Peter_.”

*

Harley was quiet all the way home. Happy knew the kid well enough to know when not to pry if something was on his mind, but also to keep the division between the front and the back of the car down just in case he wanted to.

“Happy” Harley began quietly as they pulled into the tower’s private parking lot, “Have you ever been in love before?”

“Once or twice” Happy replied.

“How did you know?” Harley asked.

Happy turned around and gave him a genuine smile.

“Kid, this is so not in my job description” he sighed before getting out of the car. Harley grinned and followed suit. “I feel like demanding a twenty percent raise for you even asking me, ain’t this a conversation you should be having with your old man.”

“I dunno” Harley shrugged, “Maybe. Thanks, anyway.”

“What for?”

“Not laughing at me or making some dig about me not being able to feel love or whatever” Harley replied, “I kinda hate when people assume I don’t have feelings.”

Happy felt his heart ache as they kid walked back into the tower somewhat downbeat.

He was a good kid, at heart, just like his old man.

*

Harley had no idea why he suddenly felt so downbeat. He’d had a great day. He’d spent it with Peter, he’d cut class and somehow managed not to be murdered for doing so, Happy had come close to admitting that he actually liked him. It had been a good day.

So why did he feel so down and like he was about to burst into tears at any second?

They came the second he walked into the living room and found his mother waiting for him on the sofa, a tub of Cookie Dough ice-cream placed on the table, a blanket in her arms and the kindest, warmest, most loving smile on her face as he came into her view.

“Oh honey” she cooed as he cried into her shoulder, “What’s wrong?”

“I dunno, I feel weird” Harley sobbed, “I was really happy earlier. I’ve had a great day and I spent all day with…with my friend, and it was great and we didn’t fight or anything like that but once h-they were gone, I just started to feel really down. And like, empty.”

Pepper smiled and kissed her son’s temple.

“Let’s shelve our talk about your little crush for tonight, huh?” she suggested as she handed him the ice-cream and switched on some mindless Zombie film, knowing that was the easiest way she could get Harley to briefly forget about his woes.

God, she loved him.

He was so imperfect. So headstrong and naturally rebellious and had given her so many sleepless nights but she wouldn’t change him for the world. Her Harley. Her little boy. She knew what this was all about, of course she did, she’d had her suspicions about his sexuality ever since he’d been a little kid and she even felt like she knew who this was all about as well.

But she wouldn’t say. It had to come from Harley, and when he was ready, she would be ready.

“I love you, Mom” Harley sniffled about half an hour into the film.

“I love you as well, sweetie” she replied softly, “You’re a good person Harley, I’m really pleased you’re trying to make yourself believe that.”

Harley leaned into her and she allowed him to rest his head on her lap as they continued to watch the mindless, bloody horror of the film.

“You really must love me to put up with this” he sighed, “You hate violence.”

“Parental love is unconditional” she said, poking him in the side, “Which is a real pain in the ass sometimes cos I end up sitting through so many awful zombie films.”

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed, feel free to leave a comment!
> 
> Hopefully I'll squeeze in another update in the next few days. Thanks for all your feedback so far, it's been amazing!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harley stuck his tongue out her before approaching his little sister and unleashing the Harley Tickle Monster Spectacular on her.
> 
> “ARE YOU GOING TO SURRENDER MORGAN?!” he teased as his sister fell about in hysterical laughter and rolled on the floor, “OR AM I GOING TO HAVE TO TICKLE YOU FOREVER.”
> 
> “Never!” Morgan, every bit as much of a product of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts as her big brother, shouted back before kicking Harley in the stomach and sending him to the floor. He lay down and allowed her to jump on his chest and start tickling him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Off The Rails.**

_Chapter 7._

Never Underestimate Harley Stark.

  


“Harley, we are trying to have a serious business discussion and it’s very hard to do that when I keep getting calls from publicists asking how you feel about having the 4th most liked Instagram post of all-time?”

“Must you always belittle my achievements” 

  
*

  
Peter Parker wasn’t expecting much from his application for an internship at Stark Industries. He’d somewhat rushed his application, didn’t even check it for spelling and grammar before he submitted it, and there was no way that Pepper Potts or Tony Stark were ever going to pay any attention to anything he would ever have to say. He was surprised Harley was as consistent as he was. Peter’s last hopes about the internship had more or less been slashed in half the day before by Phil anyway.

“I hear there’s genius kids from all over the world applying for this thing” he had said casually as the three of them were sitting down for breakfast, Phil’s face was as per usual stuck behind a newspaper, “It’s like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory but for science geeks.”

“Far be it from me to dissuade any child from reaching for the stars” Aunt May replied, “But how do kids from like….Australia imagine they’re going to be able to complete an internship in New York City. I guess you won’t have to worry about that honey, we can see the tower from your bedroom.”

Peter grinned and felt himself blush a little.

“You never told me Peter applied” Phil snapped all of a sudden, putting the newspaper down, “I could have helped you with your application, Pete. Made sure there were no silly errors.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll be fine, honey” May replied before Peter could work up the nerve to, “Peter’s the smartest kid in the grade, I’d be surprised if he’s not already on their radar. This could be a wonderful opportunity for him, a life changing thing.”

“Think you’ve got a good chance, kiddo?” Phil asked.

Peter blushed.

“Maybe” he said with a shrug, “I wouldn’t have done it if I thought I had no chance at all. It’s paid as well, so that’ll be nice. I know you guys were saying you wanted me to get a job.”

May shot up and wrapped her arms around Peter’s neck.

“I wasn’t serious about that sweetie” she said softly, planting a kiss on his head, “I hope that’s not the only reason you applied, there’s more to be gained here than just money. The experience and connections it will give you alone is invaluable.”

Peter deliberately ignored the angry look on Phil’s face as he carried on chewing his food. May left not long after, already running a little late for her shift. Phil took a deep breath as he moved his bowl to the sink and Peter felt somewhat obligated to remain seated until after Phil had said whatever he was about to.

“Let’s talk man to man now your aunt’s gone” he began, “I don’t want you to get your hopes up too high, Pete, your chances of actually getting this internship are very low. You do realize that, don’t you?”

Peter found himself unable to reply and simply ducked his head as Phil carried on.

“I mean, no offence, but you are just some nobody kid from Queens at the end of the day” he carried on, washing up the breakfast things absent mindedly as he did so, “Stark will be obligated to give those positions to the kids of his share-holders. That’s just how their world works. You don’t matter to them.”

“Yeah” was all Peter could find himself able to say.

“And if you do get it, it’s not like you’ll have even properly earned it” Phil sighed, “Your little friend will probably have pulled some strings to get you on board, and then they’ll find you out.” Twenty-four hours later, the words still stung. Peter was nothing. He was stupid to think he could be anything more.

*

Harley kept himself away from the decision-making process when it became time to pick the lab intern he would be spending his summer with. He would never admit it to anyone, but Harley was far too nervous over who it would be once he’d got his hopes up that it may have been Peter. He had expected his parents to protest his removal from the process but they both seemed to understand, rather confusingly.

He had been planning on really bigging Peter up when his application was discussed, making him out to be the best person for the job so convincingly that no one else would even be considered. And it was true, Peter was genuinely the best person for the job. He was the smartest person that Harley had ever met. If all was right in the world, then Peter Parker would breeze into the position and Harley wouldn’t have to meddle in order to make it happen.

He wanted to. Oh, he wanted to. But Peter had a sense of pride as well as masses amounts of insecurity and embarrassment over the fact he was a scholarship kid, for Peter it was a big deal that anything he achieved, he achieved on his own merits. Harley knew that Peter definitely would not appreciate those kind of strings being pulled for him.

“You’re doing that face again” Morgan sing-songed at Harley as he nervously paced in the living room where she was busy playing with her dolls house, and a very bored looking Happy, “Either you’ve done something stupid or you’re scared about something.”

“Probably the first one” Happy muttered. Harley wanted to shoot him the middle finger but would never do so in front of Morgan.

“In case both of you have forgotten” Harley began, “My entire future is being decided on in there and I have absolutely no control over it.”

“One summer internship equals your whole life?” Happy laughed, “Kid, you are so overdramatic. You’re definitely your father’s son.”

And so came the usual mix of pride and disgust that Harley often felt whenever anyone told him how much look his father he was.

“Wouldn’t have to be nervous ‘bout this if you hadn’t been naughty” Morgan told him.

Harley stuck his tongue out her before approaching his little sister and unleashing the Harley Tickle Monster Spectacular on her.

“ARE YOU GOING TO SURRENDER MORGAN?!” he teased as his sister fell about in hysterical laughter and rolled on the floor, “OR AM I GOING TO HAVE TO TICKLE YOU FOREVER.”

“Never!” Morgan, every bit as much of a product of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts as her big brother, shouted back before kicking Harley in the stomach and sending him to the floor. He lay down and allowed her to jump on his chest and start tickling him.

Eventually, however, her energy stopped and she just ended up kind of laying on him.

“I didn’t hurt you did I?” Harley asked softly.

Morgan rolled her eyes.

“You always ask that after you tickle me” she frowned, “Why start if you just end up worried you hurt me?”

“I dunno” Harley said with a shrug.

“I do” Morgan yawned a little

“Oh yeah, miss know-it-all, why’s that then?” Harley asked.

“Cos you’re nice” Morgan said with a smile before kissing him on the cheek and then starting her afternoon nap on her big brother’s chest. Harley didn’t even care that Happy took a photo of them and tweeted it.

*

@RealHappyHogan

[An image of Morgan Stark asleep on her big brother Harley’s chest]

Sometimes, I really love my job.

**567.9k **Retweets **1.09m **Likes

@abbiewrights

Listen. Harley Stark is a soft nerd boi at heart who loves his little sister.

**43.1k **Retweets **60.2k **Likes

@BradleyThompson02

Harley Stark is a real-life Disney prince; I am in love with him.

**75.2k **Retweets **49.7k **Likes

@LucyHarper

I am so gone for Harley and Morgan Stark. They win.

**33.9k **Retweets **51.1k **Likes

@RheabUtcher

Harley Stark said soft big brother rights this day.

**20.4k **Retweets **25.4k **Likes

@EW

Cute! Tony Stark’s bodyguard posts adorable picture of his kids snuggled up together.

**19.3k **Retweets **17.2k **Likes

@WilliamMatteo

Morgan Stark, I will buy you all the Dairy Queen in the world for me to trade places with you for two seconds.

**9.2k **Reweets **6.3k **Likes

@harleystarkfandom3000

Morgley content in 2018??????? We weren’t ready!!!!!

**10.5k **Retweets **7.7k **Likes

@elisametharley09/09/2017

The Instagram post, now this. We have been spoiled on this day.

**8.8k **Retweets **5.2k **Likes

@HarleyCalledMeCute

Harley: I’m spending all day doing important business things

Five minutes later: Hey Morgan, wanna fall asleep on me?

**11.7k **Retweets **14.9k **Likes

@ShannonEastway

Need I remind y’all this kid hijacked a JET six weeks ago and this is all very cynically timed PR to make you all forget. This image isn’t cute. It’s propaganda.

**80.8k **Retweets **143.2k **Likes

*

Peter couldn’t believe his eyes. He’d been refreshing the Stark Industries Twitter page all morning as the reveals were made public, a disclosure on the application that Peter was sure May must not have read before signing.

He’d expected a call or an E-mail for S.I. before anything was announced on Twitter so when the reveals started to be posted and he hadn’t received so much as a word from anyone, not even Harley, he’d just assumed that he’d been unsuccessful.

But he hadn’t been.

He’d got the internship. He would be working with Harley all summer. He’d be working with freakin’ Tony Stark all summer. This was the best thing that had ever happened to him!

“Oh My God!” May shrieked as she ran into the room having just seen the news come through on her own phone, she immediately stood Peter up and they hugged tightly, “I’m so proud of you! I can’t believe this, my little guy, working with Tony Stark! This is….this is going to change your life, Petey!”

“Our lives” Peter corrected her with a smile before hugging her again. It was then that he noticed Phil standing in his doorway, looking slightly bitter and jealous. They locked eye-contact for a second before Peter realized that for the first time, he had the upper hand on Phil. He had something Phil didn’t and would never have.

“Not coming in Phil?” Peter asked loudly. May turned around and practically skipped towards Phil, dragging him into Peter’s room by his hand. Phil feigned a smile.

“Congrats, Pete” he said softly, putting a hand on Peter’s shoulder, “I’m really pleased for you, this is an incredible opportunity. I’m sure you’ll do great.”

He almost sounded genuine.

“Thanks” Peter beamed; nothing could bring him down today.

*

Harley was elated, he was over the moon. Somehow, he’d got everything he wanted. Peter was going to be working with him, all summer, and the decision had been made purely based on Peter’s own merits and the strength of his application. Harley knew it must have been a kickass application as even Pepper, notoriously strict and particular when it came to applications, was impressed by it and expressed that she could not wait to meet the young man in question.

“And you really didn’t just decide to give him it because he’s my friend?” Harley asked Pepper as the four of them sat down for Chinese that night, “There’s a few people on Twitter talking shit cos they found out I’ve followed him for a few weeks.”

“Peter got this purely on his skillset” Tony replied, “His application was phenomenal, a few spelling mistakes here and there, but that can be forgiven. Seems like he’s a good kid as well, I did a background check and all he has against him is a few warnings for being in a few fights with that Flash Thompson kid you always say is annoying.”

“He’s the worst” Harley said with a grin, making a mental note to go and see if Flash had had his inevitable Twitter meltdown over not getting a position yet.

“As he’s going to be spending a lot of time around us, I’d quite like to invite Peter for dinner” Pepper said with a warm smile, “Is that good with you, honey?”

“Yeah” Harley breathed uneasily, “Totally cool.”

_Oh shit, did I not think this thing through? Peter’s going to be seeing the good, the bad and the ugly of Family Stark for the next three months. What if he thinks I’m weird or a freak? What if Dad scares him off within like a week and he never talks to me again? What if Morgan spills juice on him? What if DUM-E accidentally sets him on fire? _

_What if he realises I’m actually an annoying asshole and doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore._

“And his parents” Tony added, “I’d quite like to meet them as well.”

“You’ll have a job, they’re dead” Harley said sadly. It literally hurt his heart to think about Peter going through something so awful. Tony’s face paled and Pepper pursed her lips, Morgan sniffled slightly.

“And he didn’t even mention that in his about me section?” Tony replied, “Damn, I probably would have given the kid the position out of guilt if I’d known that.”

“He doesn’t talk about it much” Harley shrugged, “After he started living with his aunt and uncle but his uncle died about two years ago as well. He’s been through a lot.”

“Poor kid” Pepper sighed, “Well, now I just feel better that we picked him. Peter sounds like the kind of kid who really deserves a chance like this, exactly the kind of kid we should be giving positions like this. Not those snot nosed brats of board members.”

“Can I make Peter a card for when he comes?” asked Morgan, “I wanna let him know that his Mommy and Daddy are watching him from heaven.”

Harley softened as he looked at his little sister and smiled.

“I think he’d like a card Morgs, maybe not about that though” he said sweetly, “He gets kinda sad about it sometimes and we don’t wanna make him sad. Maybe we can make him a card together, saying welcome to Stark Tower?”

“With glitter!” Morgan said excitedly.

“Oh, so much glitter” Harley said with a smile as Pepper beamed at him. Morgan’s bath time was up and she grabbed on to Tony’s hand as he walked her towards the bathroom. He shot Harley a friendly wink as they left. Harley blushed a little and concentrated on what food was left on his plate.

Pepper kissed him on the head.

“Peter’s application was fantastic” she said, “I wouldn’t have let Tony hire him if I hadn’t been one hundred percent sure he was right for the job. So stop worrying. Why don’t you go and congratulate him? I’ll clear it with your Dad.”

Harley didn’t need to be told twice, he shot up, grabbed his jacket, kissed her on the cheek and left.

*

Peter knew that Harley was charming. Hanging out with him as much as he had done recently had been enough to convince him of that, but the way in which Harley Stark strode into Peter’s apartment and charmed the pants off of Aunt May was a beautiful thing to behold. He simply had too much charisma and somehow, May had been persuaded to let Peter out after curfew with a boy that May had literally only met five minutes before. Peter felt very happy Phil had gone back to his apartment for once so had not been around to interfere. He was definitely sulking over Peter’s internship.

Such was the perfect alignment of events that Peter had actually been granted last minute permission to sleep over at Harley’s place, as long as he was back by ten the next morning.

“Your aunt is one seriously cool lady” Harley said with a laugh as he and Peter lay down looking up at the night sky on the ground of Central Park. “Like, possibly the most amazing and badass woman I have had the pleasure of being around.”

“Yeah, she’s pretty awesome” Peter said with a smile. He looked over at Harley and felt a warm rush of affection fill his chest.

He’d been thinking it on and off for the last few weeks but there was something really beautiful about Harley Stark. Especially as Peter lay looking at him in the shade of the moonlight and Harley looked so effortlessly beautiful that Peter had to catch his breath.

Wow.

“You still with me, Parker?” Harley asked softly, bopping Peter’s nose with his finger.

“Yeah. Sorry” Peter replied with a smile, forcing down a blush, “Sorry, it’s just been like the best day ever but it’s also a little overwhelming. This could change my life forever.”

“And you did it all yourself” Harley told him, “I wasn’t even in the room when they made their minds up about you, Dad didn’t even know I knew you.”

“He will do soon” Peter chuckled.

“Poor guys not gonna know what’s hit him” Harley yawned, “They’ll all be in bed now, you’ll have to meet them in the morning. A proper family breakfast.”

“Can’t wait” Peter smiled, “Your sister’s very cute. That picture Mr. Hogan posted of the two of you was the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“Wow” Harley replied, “That’s high praise considering the fact that you wake up to the sight of your precious little doe eyes in the mirror every morning.”

“Shut up you nerd” Peter said with a laugh, ignoring the whooshing feeling in his stomach, “I’m not that adorable.”

“Sure you’re not” Harley yawned once again, “Fucking hell, I’m literally un-grounded for one night and got you un-curfewed and I’m yawning? This is not the Harley Stark way.”

“I thought the Harley Stark way was changing” Peter noted, “Thought you were leaving your bad boy lifestyle behind and embrace your new destiny as a choirboy and the all-American boy next door?”

Harley laughed out loud.

“We’ll see about that” he wheezed, “Maybe we can work on a compromise? Head back to mine, marathon Buzzfeed Unsolved and whoever falls asleep first gets their face painted on by Morgan tomorrow morning whilst my Dad makes pancakes?”

“Domestic Starks” Peter yawned, “I think I like it.”

“Let’s head then” Harley said with a smile, offering Peter his hand and pulling the smaller boy up to his feet with ease. Peter was more than a little flustered like that.

_Nice one, Parker._

_Not even one day into the job and you’ve developed a crush on your boss’s son._

_And he’s not just any old boss’s on. He’s Harley Stark._

_He’ll never like you like that._

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A happy(ish) chapter! I really enjoyed this one, got some Morgan time in there and we've reached the stage of Peter and Harley's mutual pining but them both being dumb-dumbs about it.
> 
> Please leave a comment, they make me happy!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “FRIDAY, how many times has Harley had a female guest stay overnight in his room and not informed us about it?” Pepper asked the ceiling. Peter looked at her like she was crazy for a second but then remembered reading about Tony Stark’s hyper sentient, hyper competent A.I. in a magazine.
> 
> “Within the past month or since the first occurrence eighteen months ago?” came the reply. Harley paled as Tony walked in the room.
> 
> “What’s happening?” the billionaire asked.
> 
> “Your AI is slut-shaming me!” Harley exclaimed.
> 
> Tony took one pointed look at Harley before shrugging, saying “good” and then sitting himself down next to Peter, to whom he wished a very loud good morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, just a brief warning of sorts before you get into this chapter. As much as I love writing soft puppu uwu Parkner, I do think it's important to remember that they ARE teenage boys and therefore are allowed to make dumbass, idiotic and reckless decisions. Especially Harley,
> 
> Basically my up my own way ass of telling you there's underage drinking and allusions to underage sex in this chapter.

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 8._

Headaches, Hangovers & Hoodies

The night had taken a turn, it was fair to say. The plans to just crash back at the tower and binge True Crime comedy shows had honestly been their intention but when Harley walked by an all-night liquor store and had decided to flex his celebrity-son-of-a-billionaire muscle in order to show off to Peter (foolish), he was the more surprised of the two when it actually worked.

“I’m just saying my birth date is on public record!” he’d ranted as they headed back to the tower with a bag full of vodka, “And I don’t exactly look 21, how did we get away with this?”

“We?” Peter had replied, “You. And I don’t think your celebrity matters all that much to 75-year old Dominican ladies who are partially sighted, tired and just want to go home.”

Harley knew that there was more to Peter Parker than immediately met the eye. No one could be that much of a goody-two-shoes and he knew enough about Peter’s past to know he wasn’t totally strait laced. He’d been to parties, he’d kissed girls, he was a teenage boy and as much as he might have come across as a soft and innocent puppy; Peter Parker was as hormonal and hedonistic as anyone else his age, he just needed the right company and security to let that part of him out.

And, so, he did. With Harley. In Harley’s bedroom as they laughed, joked and gradually made less and less sense as the night went on. The fifteen Taco Bells burritos they’d bought seemed like a good idea at the time but when Peter had tried to bite into one and subsequently spilled the entirety of its contents on his bright white hoodie, the night was officially and literally declared a mess.

“You’re beefy, Petey” Harley had said in hysterical laughter, thinking he was the funniest person in the world for his double-meaning joke as Peter had stripped off his stained with beef juice hoodie and flashed an impressive set of abs in the process. Drunk Harley was proud of how well he’d been able to keep his big mouth quiet in that moment. He did, however, immediately demand his ripped and totally gorgeous new employee give him a piggy back around his bedroom.

Drunk Peter complied, because Drunk Peter was an idiot who could be talked into anything.

It was 2.30am when Tony Stark turned up, flashed on Harley’s bedroom light and was met with the sight of two drunk as fuck teenagers pretending they weren’t so.

“Hi, Mr. Dad-Stark, this is Peter, our new intern” Harley said formally with an exaggerated formal businessman voice as he made Peter come to a stop.

“Whom you’re riding like a horse?” a clearly not-actually-that unimpressed Tony replied as he leaned against Harley’s door frame with his armed folded and an amused twinkle in his eyes. He grinned as called behind him and soon Peter gasped and dropped Harley to the floor as Colonel James Rhodes – aka friggin’ war machine Harley why didn’t you tell me he’d be here – appeared at the doorway as well.

“Damn, it’s like the future is repeating itself” Rhodey commented as Harley and Peter both fumbled around a bit to stay steady on their feet.

Peter grinned.

“Hi, I’m Peter Parker” he said sweetly, holding out his hand and only clamming up a little bit when both Tony and Rhodes shook it, “I didn’t spill a burrito all over your floor.”

Tony grinned as he locked on Peter’s adorable, but tipsy, brown puppy dog eyes and couldn’t help but notice how much lighter and gigglier Peter’s presence seemed to make his usually sullener son. Harley was always up for a joke and a laugh, but school-girl-ish giggling was rare. And Harley was giggling, a lot.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Parker” Tony replied as formally as he could, “Congratulations on your internship with us, you had a simply phenomenal application and I am positively emphatic to begin working with you.”

Harley knew his Dad was using the big words on purpose to try and trip Peter up whilst drunk as it was his go to way of checking whether Harley was drunk. It worked. Every single time.

Peter, however, nodded and smiled.

“Thanks Mr. Stark!” he said brightly, “I’m really emphatic too, I mean I applied on a total whim cos everyone was tellin’ me I should cos of they all think I’m smart but I don’t really think I’m that smart but I did and for some reason you picked me and now my aunt is really proud of me and that’s all that matters cos she’s the person I love the most in the whole world she’s not even upset that I’ll have to spend less time helping her out at the homeless shelter cos of it and I won’t let you down, sir, cos I really respect you and Ms. Potts and my aunt really likes Ms. Potts cos of she kept her name even after she married you cos adding Stark to her name would have made her like too badass for the world y’know? Also, excuse me but I need to go and throw up in Harley’s kickass en-suite bathroom but it’s on an account of the burrito not the vodka we bought from a nearly blind old Dominican lady.”

And with that, Peter drunkenly totted off into Harley’s en-suite and Tony started after him, already completely charmed by the kid. Rhodey was crying tears of laughter into his best friends shoulder.

“I can’t believe your kid brought home another stray puppy” Rhodey said, clapping Tony on the shoulder before heading back out. Tony remained in the doorway and raised his eyebrows at Harley.

“Cute ain’t he?” Harley said with a shrug.

“The cutest” Tony sighed, “By rights, I should be grounding you until 2034 and revoking Peter’s internship on the spot but I’m gonna need more of him in my life now so you’re spared.”

“He’s my friend” Harley hiccoughed, Tony couldn’t really tell if Harley had taken in what he’d just said, but his son was all foggy eyed for some reason, “Like he’s actually my friend Dad and he made me realize ‘cept for Harry I don’t really got many real friends. Please let me keep him.”

“You can keep him son” Tony said with a smile, “As long as you’re willing to share.”

*

Hangovers were not something that Peter Parker took too kindly. The first thing he was aware of when he woke up was that he was sprawled out on Harley Stark’s enormous double bed, and the boy himself had chosen to sleep on the floor using a hoodie as a pillow. Peter felt kind of bad that Harley had slept in such a position, the bed had enough room for them both and enough distance that any awkward ‘morning wood’ situations could have been avoided but Harley had chosen to be honorable and sleep on the floor.

As much as he couldn’t really make sense of it, Peter appreciated the decision and found himself warming to his bizarre new friend just a little bit more.

The fact he’d chosen to sleep shirtless and looked like an angel whilst doing so wasn’t hurting either.

“You good?” Harley murmured, eyes still closed, a few seconds later, “Cos I feel like I’ve been hit by a bullet train already and we’ve not even opened the blinds yet.”

“My head feels like I went ten rounds with Captain America” Peter groaned.

“I’ve actually done that” Harley yawned, “And believe me, it doesn’t.”

“Eurgh, my hoodie’s all gross” Peter moaned, “And my t-shirts all sweaty. I can’t believe I’ll have to go home like this.”

“Don’t be silly, just borrow something of mine” Harley said as he got up and sat himself down on the bed, Peter did a double take when he noticed Harley had a small Thor tattoo on his lower right side. Harley grinned when he noticed Peter staring at it.

“Didn’t have you pegged as that big a fan” Peter observed.

“Thor’s cool and all but I’m not really” Harley said with another yawn, “It was just one time my Dad pissed me off when we were on vacation in Mexico a few years back and Harry found this place that pretty much did free tattoos and it just seemed like the easiest way to piss him off back. It worked too. But then it got infected and I nearly died or whatever, so I guess he won in the end. I’m not bitter.”

Peter laughed.

“You’ve led quite the life haven’t you” he said sweetly as Harley blushed, “And I can’t borrow your clothes, you’re nearly a foot taller than me. They’ll be massive.”

“Yeah? So, you’ll just look really cute” Harley said with a smile, “Besides, you publicly represent Stark Industries now. You can’t run around in beef stained hoodies anymore, Peter.”

“I don’t make a habit of it” Peter exclaimed, “But thank you. You’re very nice.”

“Yeah” Harley sighed, “I’m the best.”

Peter couldn’t help but wonder if Harley had a few self esteem issues, this was far from the first time he’d seen him deflect an earnest compliment.

“You can have dibs on the shower if you want” Harley carried on, “I’m not saying you, y’know, smell or anything but I figured you’d want one. And I’m trying to be a good host, so…”

“You’re succeeding” Peter told him just as Harley passed him a towel. He sat up and took himself into the en suite bathroom that was bigger than his own bedroom back in Queens.

Rather embarrassingly, Peter had a bit of trouble even getting Harley’s shower to start. There were so many different and fancy switches for different unnecessary features that Peter nearly found himself screaming like an old man about how pointless it all was, and what was wrong with a simple on and off switch anyway, it wasn’t like this is my day!

Eventually, he managed to get it working and enjoyed what was possibly the nicest shower he’d ever had in his whole life. The hangover seemed manageable, the birds were singing, the sun was shining and as he exited the en suite bathroom he was greeted by a still shirtless Harley, wrapped in a towel, ready to swap places with him.

Honestly, Peter had had worse mornings.

“Lookin’ good Parker” Harley wolf-whistled, “I knew drunk me wasn’t hallucinating those abs”

*

“It’s very nice to meet you Peter” Pepper Potts said sweetly as she shook Peter’s hand, “Normally, I’d feel like lecturing you over such irresponsible behaviour but we’re willing to let this be a blip. You’re the most promising of all our new interns.”

“Thanks” Peter mumbled, blushing furiously, “I’m really sorry about last night. We were honestly planning on just coming back and crashing, but…”

“Things change” Pepper said with a genuine smile, “Honey, you’re young and you had some good news yesterday, you haven’t done anything wrong. Just don’t make a habit of it.”

“OK, thanks, and sorry. Again.” Peter said shyly before Harley forced him to sit down around the dining table opposite Morgan. He gave the little girl a small smile and a wave.

“Who’s he?” Morgan asked Harley.

“This is Peter, he’s my friend and he’s going to be working in the lab with me and Dad for the whole summer” Harley said proudly as he patted his friend on the back, causing Peter to nearly slurp his orange juice, “I think you’ll really like him Morgs, he’s super-duper nice.”

“As nice as you?” Morgan asked.

“No one’s as nice as your brother” Peter said sweetly before Harley could deflect, “It’s really nice to meet you Morgan, I like your Hulk onesie!”

That was all it took for Morgan to fall in love with Peter, she instantly made an excited squeal, hopped out of her chair and ran around to give Peter a hug. Harley melted a little at how easily Peter accepted the hug and then put up with Morgan’s lecture on how the Hulk was the most amazing superhero of them all but he can’t tell Daddy she said that because Daddy would get mad.

“And he doesn’t even turn into a green monster when he gets mad, so what’s the point?” Harley added on at the end of her lecture, causing the little girl to stick her tongue out at him.

“Where did you sleep?” Morgan asked.

“Oh, in Harley’s room” Peter answered as Pepper sat down with them all and passed Morgan her plate of organic toast.

Morgan giggled. Harley’s face reddened.

“What’s going on?” Pepper asked.

“Normally I have to be shush about Harley’s friends staying in his room” Morgan laughed as Harley tried to move towards her to shut her up but was blocked by Peter who needed to know more, “And they’re normally girls as well.”

Harley’s face went bright red as Peter smirked and Pepper almost choked on her food.

“Morgan, I am going to burn your tea set” Harley snarled as Morgan hid her face in Peter’s shoulder and carried on laughing.

“You have….girls over in your room?” Pepper asked.

“It’s been known” Harley said quietly, “Not that often though.”

“FRIDAY, how many times has Harley had a female guest stay overnight in his room and not informed us about it?” Pepper asked the ceiling. Peter looked at her like she was crazy for a second but then remembered reading about Tony Stark’s hyper sentient, hyper competent A.I. in a magazine.

“Within the past month or since the first occurrence eighteen months ago?” came the reply. Harley paled as Tony walked in the room.

“What’s happening?” the billionaire asked.

“Your AI is slut-shaming me!” Harley exclaimed.

Tony took one pointed look at Harley before shrugging, saying “good” and then sitting himself down next to Peter, to whom he wished a very loud good morning.

*

The conversation swiftly turned away from Harley’s sex life (the existence of which no one in the room was exactly surprised by, no one was naïve enough to believe otherwise) and to Peter and his future wants and desires whilst under the Stark Industries Internship. When that subjected (quickly) became exhausted, focus shifted to Peter and Harley’s drunken escapades.

“Your aunt seems like a very nice woman” Pepper was saying, “She seems very proud of you, Peter, I’d quite like it if you brought her round for dinner one evening. We’re having a general ‘Meet The Interns’ dinner next Friday night which she is, of course, invited too but I’d quite like one with just the two of you…seen as though you’ll be working so closely with Tony and Harley.”

“Yeah, that’d be cool” Peter squeaked, already internally panicking a little that May would bring Phil along and he’d find someway of spoiling it for Peter. Harley gave him a curious look.

“Fantastic, do you want to me to make contact with her to organize a date or do you want to check her availability yourself?” Pepper asked.

“I’ll do it” Harley interjected enthusiastically.

“Excuse me?” Tony asked.

“I’ll do it” Harley repeated, “I’m gonna take Peter back home anyway, and I can do it whilst we’re there, makes sense to me.”

“You’re taking me home?” Peter asked.

“Yeah.” Harley replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Just seems like the right thing to do.”

“How’d you mean?” Pepper asked affectionately, running her hands through his hair

“Well, May only let Peter come here on the promise that we don’t do anything stupid” Harley began, sounding a little bit upset, “I let her down and we did something stupid so it’s on me to explain to her why, and that it’s not Peter’s fault. Face to face.”

Pepper, Peter and Tony shared an uneasy look.

“Harley-“ Tony began but was swiftly interrupted

“You didn’t shove the vodka down my throat, Harls” Peter snapped, “It’s not on you to justify this to my aunt, my fuck ups aren’t your fuck ups, even if it was the same fuck up. Sorry for saying fuck up three times Mr. and Mrs.-dammit, four. Sorry.”

“Language aside, Peter has a point, honey” Pepper said holding her son’s hand, “You don’t have to do this, Harley.”

“I do” Harley breathed, looking at Pepper and only Pepper, “It’s Peter, Mom.”

Pepper smiled softly and kissed her son on the head.

“Fine, let the Italian lady shout at you if it’ll make you happy, kid” Tony said with a laugh.

*

“You really don’t have to do this” Peter said as the two walked up to his apartment door. They’d come via the subway, only stopping briefly for a McDonalds lunch (“It’s the world’s best and only proven hangover cure, Harls. Let me lead you astray for once”) along the way.

“Looks like I’m gonna anyway” Harley said as he put an arm around Peter’s shoulder, “You can make it up to me one day. Bail me out of some Thai prison in a few years?”

“You’re on” Peter said with a grin as he opened the door. Harley hung back for a few seconds when he felt his phone vibrate.

Peter nearly dropped his overnight bag when the first thing he was greeted with upon entering his apartment was a furious looking Phil waiting for him in the living room. Phil’s eyes locked on to Peter’s and for a moment, the boy felt completely helpless and alone.

“Your aunt’s just gone to the shops” he said coldly, “I suspect she’s probably too disappointed to even want to be in the same room as you just now”

“I’m-“ Peter began but was swiftly interrupted by Harley entering the apartment having answered his phone call.

“Mr. Westcott” he said with a false smile, immediately detecting the tension, “Nice to see you again.”

Phil’s face fell as Harley glared at him, urging him to reply. Peter felt trapped and went to sit down on the sofa. Harley followed suit.

“You drive him back?” Phil asked.

“Nah, came with him on the subway” Harley replied, “Just wanted to make sure his aunt knows to blame me and not him for last night’s shenanigans”

“I’ve already told you-“ Peter began

“Yeah, well, tough shit Parker” Harley shot back, a part of him was now determined not to leave Peter until his aunt was back in the apartment, “I’ve made up my mind.”

“I can pass on a message” Phil said kindly, having managed to regain total control of himself and default back into his routine nice guy act, “If you need to get back.”

“I don’t” Harley said with a smile, “So, if it’s all the same, I’ll wait until Mrs. Parker gets back. News like that isn’t always believed when it comes second hand.”

“It’s also not true” Peter muttered.

“Whatever, Parker” Harley rolled his eyes and reached for the remote, “Now, let’s see what Parker Netflix in like. Hopefully less Peppa Pig than we have at the tower.”

May arrived back around twenty minutes later, when Peter had all but nodded off on Harley’s right shoulder and Phil had spent the same amount of time staring at them both from behind. Harley could feel the metaphorical burn marks in the back of his head. It was a relief when she walked through the door.

“Oh, we have company” May said with a smile as she saw Harley, “Nice to see you again, honey. I’m guessing Peter’s exhaustion overcame it.”

“Yeah, I think I stopped being here purely by choice about ten minutes ago” Harley said with a laugh as May knelt down before them and stroked Peter’s hair, “I just wanted to stop by and say thank you for letting Peter out last night. And to say sorry for letting you down.”

May’s face fell.

“Letting me down?” she asked, “Honey, why do you think you let me down?”

“Cos we get drunk” Harley exclaimed, “Well, I got him drunk. Peter-“

“Peter is more of a little shit than you realize” May said fondly, “He’s one of the most stubborn people I’ve ever met, if he puts his mind to something, you can’t force him. He wouldn’t have got drunk with you if he didn’t want to.”

“Are you mad?” Harley asked, aware Phil was still staring him out.

“Mad? No, honey, no” May said with a smile, “It’s been so long since Peter’s felt safe and happy enough to do normal teenage things, I’m not happy about it, but I’m not mad. And you’re a good friend.”

“Really?” Harley asked.

“Yes, really” May replied

Harley smiled back at her.

“My mom wants you and Peter to come round for dinner at the tower one night” he told her, “Just the two of you, I think. Sorry Mr. Westcott.”

Phil snarled briefly but quickly deflected when May looked at him.

“No skin off my nose son” he said before turning away.

Harley grinned.

“That would be lovely” May said cheerfully as she kissed sleeping Peter on the head and took her shopping bags into the kitchen, giving Phil a loving kiss on the cheek before heading into her bedroom. This left Phil and Harley alone.

“Delivered your message?” Phil asked, “Don’t see what you’d need to hang around for now.”

Harley scowled.

“Yeah, you’re right” he said, “Sorry about the dinner invite. My mother specified it was family and guardians only.”

Phil nodded.

“Fair enough” he said, “D’you need a lift back to the tower, son?”

I wouldn’t get in a car with you if we were fleeing nuclear winter.

“Nah, I’m good” Harley replied with a wink as May returned to the living room and sat down on the sofa next to Peter, placing his still sleeping head in her lap, “I like getting the subway. Humbles me a little. I’ll see you around Phil, and Mrs. Parker, I imagine my Mom will be in contact to make arrangements. See you soon and tell Peter I said bye and that I’m pleased he’s getting some much-needed beauty sleep.”

“I will honey” May said kindly as Harley left the apartment, she turned to a falsely smiling Phil the second the door shut behind him, “What a nice boy, isn’t he? Not at all what the press would have you believe he’s really like. Just goes to show. You never know someone, till you know someone.”

“Very true” Phil said, before angrily cutting up a carrot.

Outside, Harley grinned to himself.

Phil: 0   
Harley: 1

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note - I don't want anyone to think Harley doesn't care about what position he might be putting Peter in by messing with Phil. Harley is savvy enough to know there's something up with Phil but he's still a teenager at the end of the day, at the moment he just sees Phil as an uptight asshole and someone whom Peter doesn't like or trust. So, therefore, Harley doesn't trust or like him either. His instincts are picking up on Phil's nature but as with a lot of teeangers, he's not quite emotionally mature enough yet to really understand the gravity of what's going on. 
> 
> Like I said at the beginning, they are just KIDS at the end of the day. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter and I continue to be blown away by your feedback. THANK YOU 3000.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter sighed.
> 
> “You read so many god damn books, how is it that I’m still the easiest one to read?” he asked, “How do you do this shit?”
> 
> “I just know what makes you tick, Parker” she shrugged, “It works both ways. There’s a reason you were the first person I came out to, and most of that was because I knew you were already well aware that I’m into the ladies.”
> 
> “It was the sticker of Jade from Victorious that you used to carry on your backpack that really gave it away” Peter said with a grin, “So, tell me, what are my identifiers?”
> 
> “Your entire aurora” MJ replied bluntly
> 
> “Damn, that’s kinda hard to hide” Peter

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 9._

What Is Love (Baby Don’t Hurt Me).

Contrary to popular belief and TMZ’s insistence, Harley was not even remotely jealous of the instant bond that his father and Peter Parker had struck up. The three of them were close. Having Peter around as a buffer between the two had meant Harley and Tony had gone almost three weeks without a petty argument, an hours long disowning or a promise to bury a certain billionaire at sea once he was dead and Harley would be the most powerful man in the world.

Peter was a tonic. An endless source of sunny counter-points and reassurances whenever things, inevitably, got a little bit heated between father and son.

Not that Harley minded. He and Tony were better for Peter’s presence and both knew it. Tony Stark was one of the smartest people on planet earth and any hope Harley had that his not-so-secret crush wouldn’t soon become the deer in the proverbial headlights to his father dissipated within a week.

It had been a particularly hot day that day and Tony’s attempts at a full re-charge of all of his suits at the same time had resulted in Stark Tower tripping a massive fuse (that may or may not have affected half of Manhattan – oops!) thus leaving two very hot and sweaty teenage boys having to work through their afternoon lab session with no air conditioning.

Harley’s “It’s Too Hot To Function” playlist had seen them through, but Harley knew the jig regarding any assumptions of platonic and only platonic feelings he had towards Peter by his father was up the second that the kid had removed his ever present jumper and flashed a nice bit of tummy in front of Stark father and son. Tony caught Harley’s flustered look and immediate spillage of his lemonade all over a work station as Peter’s hair flopped with the movement.

It would have been awkward for the rest of the afternoon, but Peter and Tony’s natural and hilarious banter had carried conversation through whilst Harley just sat around and prayed for the ground to swallow him up. He was always kind of sad when Peter left because not being around Peter was starting to feel more and more unnatural by the day, but he was positively dreading it that day. Tony was sure to talk to him once the boy was gone.

And, so, he did.

“I wish I was the kind of father you felt you could tell things to” Tony sighed as he knelt down next to Harley who was putting on some finishing touches to a new suit for Rhodey

“You are….mostly” Harley muttered, his face glowing red and not just from the heat.

“OK” Tony nodded, “Look, I don’t wanna pry if you’re not ready, but I just want you to be happy kiddo. If Peter being here is making things hard for you-“

Harley snorted at his father’s choice of the words.

“That’s way too close to the bone Dad” Harley shot back with a wink.

“You’re gross” Tony said with a laugh as he nudged his smirking son, “So….boys?”

Harley sighed, but then smiled. He felt safe, for whatever reason.

“Are really fucking cute sometimes” Harley said with a slight giggle and had never loved a sound more than he loved the sound of Tony chuckling as well.

“Especially Peter?” Tony asked.

“You don’t even….I mean, fuck Dad, it’s-“ Harley began stuttering but stopped when he felt his father place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“We’ve all been there, kiddo” Tony said with a smile, “And I’m proud of you. And I love you. And, in case you were wondering, you are the number one teenage kiddo in my life. No one else comes close.”

“Thanks” Harley said with a shaky breath, “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“Glad to hear it” Tony replied and they continued in silence for a few minutes. A few minutes where all Harley could seem to concentrate on was how much he trusted his father, how easily his father had accepted him and assured him he loved him, and how much Tony seemed to appreciate the fact Harley felt he could trust him.

They never talked about Howard much. The man’s name made Harley too angry, for all the differences that he’d had with Tony over the years, he’d always known he was loved. Tony had made that obvious. Every single day of Harley’s life, even the days when they could barely stand to be in the same room as one another. On those days, Tony had a habit of coming into Harley’s room whilst he assumed the boy was asleep and giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead (and normally some form of utterance about what an idiot he was – Harley could never tell if Tony was referring to himself or his son).

Tony loved Harley, and Harley loved Tony, and Howard Stark was a grade-A asshole who may not have deserved to have been murdered but fuck, Harley would have some choice words for his grandfather if their paths had ever crossed.

“It’s not just a crush” Harley whispered a few seconds later. He saw Tony gently lower his spanner and place a hand on his shoulder.

“OK” Tony said breathlessly, “What is it then?”

“I think I love him” Harley breathed, shutting his eyes as he did so, “I mean, it feels like I do. It sucks when he’s not around and he makes me laugh like no one else, and I just….I just like being around Peter so much Dad and I don’t even care if he doesn’t want me back, I just want him to be happy.”

“Sounds like love to me kid” Tony replied with a sigh, pulling Harley into him and planting a large kiss on the top of his head, “Good luck.”

“D’you….I thought you’d tell me that I was too young or that me and Peter hadn’t even known one another that long” Harley confessed, “That’s what they always say about kids and love, right?”

“Listen, you’re sixteen” Tony replied, “You’re sixteen and let me tell you from one who has been sixteen, I don’t think I’ve ever felt as passionately about anything as I did back then. Yes, mine may have been clouded in a haze of booze and unwise choices, but….there’s something raw about these years, Harls. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that you don’t feel the way you’re telling me you do. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Why would I get hurt?” Harley asked, heart sinking a little. He knew the answer.

“Because love sucks and is punishing as heck, kid” Tony replied, “It’ll mess you up and make you feel like you’re walking over hot coals for miles on end, sometimes you’ll just want the ground to open up and swallow you whole”

“Peter would never hurt me” Harley pouted. Tony smiled.

“The kid wouldn’t know how to hurt someone on purpose, if he tried.” Tony said with a grin, “It’s not in his nature, but he could still hurt you. If you love him, Peter Parker could hurt you worse than anyone ever will, even if that’s the last thing he’d ever do. Just watch out for yourself, Harley.”

Harley fell into silence. The idea of Peter hurting him was unimaginable. He was in love with Peter, his heart beat for Peter, every moment he spent with Peter was pure bliss and the idea that one day that could all be shattered somehow was terrifying. But maybe being terrified meant Harley knew that deep down.

Maybe Peter would be worth the pain?

*

“You’ve got that look on your face” MJ told Peter bluntly over their platonic lunch date.

“What look?” asked Peter

“That kind of enthused but mildly anxious puppy look” she replied with a smile, “The likes of which we haven’t seen since the Liz Allen crush of two and a half years ago”

“MJ, I woke up to a million Instagram followers” Peter said with a laugh, “Is that not enough for me to freak out about without you immediately jumping to the conclusion that I have a gigantic crush on someone because I don’t, I definitely don’t”

MJ sat back in her seat, folded her arms and looked satisfied.

“Well, the funny thing is Parker, until literally seven seconds ago I’d have agreed with you” she said with a Cheshire cat grin, “I was just teasing you about Liz, but that hilariously defensive reply all but confirms that you definitely have a new crush and, being your best friend, I now of course need to know every little detail in order to make sure you don’t get hurt or….stabbed.”

Peter sighed.

“You read so many god damn books, how is it that I’m still the easiest one to read?” he asked, “How do you do this shit?”

“I just know what makes you tick, Parker” she shrugged, “It works both ways. There’s a reason you were the first person I came out to, and most of that was because I knew you were already well aware that I’m into the ladies.”

“It was the sticker of Jade from Victorious that you used to carry on your backpack that really gave it away” Peter said with a grin, “So, tell me, what are my identifiers?”

“Your entire aurora” MJ replied bluntly

“Damn, that’s kinda hard to hide” Peter smirked, “So why does no one else ever latch on my deepest, darkest secrets”

“They haven’t spent the best part of twelve years becoming fluent in Peter Parker” MJ said casually, “It’s not a noble job, but it’s a necessary one. You kind of strugs to func sometimes.”

“I do not strugs to func” Peter replied incredulously, “I’m just bad at time management and knowing went to shut my ass up, oh and kitchens….I guess.”

MJ grinned.

“They’re a lucky person, whoever they are” she said kindly taking Peter’s hand, “You really deserve someone who’s going to make you happy. Just please don’t tell me your crush is on Harley Stark or something because they would-oh, for fuck sake, it is Harley isn’t it?!”

“Keep your voice down” Peter snapped quietly, he was tempted to deny the claim but the blushing and red-hot feeling that had creeped up on his neck made such a thing impossible, “Yes, fine, I may have a teensy tiny crush on Harley but it doesn’t mean anything. He’s a straight, billionaire’s son. There’s no way he’ll ever like me back and I’m totally OK living with that constant pain.”

“So melodramatic” MJ said, rolling her eyes, “For god sake, Parker. Why does your crush have to be on Mr. Emblematic of everything that’s wrong with society?”

“He has nice eyes, a pretty face and is ripped?” Peter offered as a weak response, “Also, he’s not actually a dick. He’s really nice and he’s been really supportive of me since I got the internship. I know he’s a little spoiled and I get why you don’t like him, but he’s not so bad once you get to know him. The two of you actually have a lot in common.”

“Oh yeah?” a skeptical MJ replied, “Like what?”

“Well, for one thing, I’m mildly concerned both of you would kill for me without much provocation” Peter smirked, “And you’re both….kind, passionate, empathetic people who only want the best for everyone around them.”

MJ frowned, deep in consideration.

“Just don’t dig yourself in too deep, Peter” she said with a sad smile, “If he hurts you, I’ll have to kill him and there’s no way I’ll be able to get away with that high profile of a crime.”

Peter grinned.

“So you don’t think I have the moral backbone of a chocolate éclair then?” he teased.

“No, I know you well enough to know that you’re incapable of embracing anyone you don’t think is a good person and as much as you strugs to func, you’re a pretty good judge of character” she answered, “I guess if you genuinely like Harley Stark, he can’t be totally awful. But that’s all you’re getting from me. Don’t expect him and I to make daisy chains and skip around meadows together.”

“That’s all I needed, thanks” Peter replied, “There’s a reason you’re the person I come to with this shit, partly because I’m often left with very little choice in the matter-“

MJ smiled.

“You haven’t noticed yet, have you?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. Peter wondered what she meant for a second but then came to a shocking realization.

“Oh fuck, I never even told you I was bi before!” he exclaimed, “And you just-what the fuck, MJ, how do you know?”

“How do I know? Please, Peter.” She laughed, “You radiate so much chaotic bi energy I’m surprised you haven’t won some kind of prestigious lifetime achievement award. I’ve always known.”

“What? Even when we were eight?”

“You did like Zac Efron a lot, Peter”

“Says Mrs. Vanessa Hudgens over there”

“Touché, and that’s why I love ya!” MJ said with a laugh as she punched him on the arm, “Harley Stark is better than Flash Thompson, at the very least. I think I would’ve disowned you right here right now.”

“Harley hates Flash as well, if that does anything to add another point in his corner” Peter suggested.

“Nah, bare minimum expectation” MJ replied with a shrug, “…..How’re things back home?”

“OK” Peter replied quickly and quietly, not wishing to dwell on the subject. Which, of course, meant that MJ was absolutely about to dwell on the subject.

“Phil moved in yet?” she asked

Peter nodded.

“He’s around a lot, summer vacation and all that” Peter replied. He knew giving MJ some scraps of information was the best way to get her not to probe him any harder, “It’s a bit awkward. I’m really glad I’ve got the internship to go to.”

“Yeah, I bet” she said with a smile, “You know you’re always welcome at mine if things get too heavy. My Mom loves you.”

“Thanks” he said with a sigh, “But it’ll be alright. Me and Phil just need to get to know one another better.”

MJ frowned. She didn’t like Phil. She didn’t trust Phil. If he hurt her best friend, she would kill him.

*

“Do you believe in God?” Harley asked, totally out of the blue, as he and Peter sat looking out over the view from the roof of Stark Tower. It had become something of a nightly routine for them since Happy was always out and about until around half an hour after Peter’s finish time in the lab. Half an hour of totally free time, where Harley and Peter could just talk. Neither would say, but it had quickly become the highlight of one another’s days.

“Not really” Peter shrugged, “Kinda hard to believe there’s a dude in the sky who wants the best for them when you’ve been orphaned and seen your Uncle get shot.”

“Fair enough” Harley replied. He was always at something of a loss for words when Peter would bring up the heartbreaking traumas of his past.

“Do you?” Peter asked, “I assume you must be having some form of religious crisis if you’re even asking me in the first place.”

“You could call it that” Harley replied bitterly, “Just been having a lot of conversations with myself about myself lately, trying to figure out who I really am.”

“Ahh, the billionaire child’s favourite past time” Peter said with a laugh, “How long till we’re cruising around the Caribbean as you try to find yourself?”

“Hey, I’m trying to be deep and philosophical here!” Harley argued, “And sardonic isn’t your best look, Parker, not with those eyes.”

“Duality of man” Peter said with a wink, “I’m not quite as innocent as everyone likes to think.”

“Yeah, I’m aware” Harley replied with a smile, “A few more stories like the one you told me the other night and FRIDAY will be able to slut shame you as well. Misery loves company.”

“Bite me, Stark” Peter replied good naturedly, “Anyway, why are you having generic rich kid conversations with yourself about yourself?”

“I want to be a better person” Harley shrugged, “That plane stunt was really stupid and now half the world hates me for it, I just wanna know that I’m not totally awful.”

“You’re not totally awful” Peter replied quickly, “In fact, on the scale of bad person to good person I’d say you rank firmly on the side of good. Just a little misguided sometimes.”

“Crazy thing is, coming from you, I believe that” Harley said softly, “You’re literally the nicest person I’ve ever met, and I’ve met the Pope and Tom Hanks.”

“High praise indeed” Peter said with a laugh, “I do try but I’m not perfect. No one is. If those conversations you’re having with yourself are an attempt to make yourself….I dunno, Jesus 2.0, then you’re on to a loser. You don’t have to be scared to still fuck up sometimes, it’ll crush you and you’re human. Fucking up is just as inevitable as death and taxes.”

“You’re like a wise old man, dude” Harley laughed, “I think I may have to start jotting down some of your little sayings in a book, sell them on when you inevitably cure cancer or something.”

“Cos you’ll really need the money” Peter rolled his eyes.

“Oh, I’m one hundred percent expecting to have been thoroughly disinherited by then” Harley replied, somewhat confused by the almost angry expression that fell over Peter once he’d finished speaking.

“You can’t seriously think your parents would do that” Peter scoffed, “They practically worship the ground you walk on, Harls. I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever seen two parents more in love with their own child than they are with you. You couldn’t do anything to make them ever give up on you like that.”

“I seem to do my best to test that theory sometimes” Harley said quietly.

“Well, stop” Peter snapped, “You’re not a bad person, you’re too naturally kind. I’ve seen the way you are with Morgan, with your Mom and Dad, you’re too genuinely good. The only thing stopping you from embracing that is this weird pull you have where you think you have to act up to some image. Just because you’re practically American royalty doesn’t mean you have to be a douche.”

Harley sighed. _God I’m so fucking in love with him it scares me_.

“Thanks” he choked, “I-I think I needed to hear that. To be honest, I had no idea that you could be so blunt.”

“Learned a thing or two from my friend Michelle” Peter told him, “If someone’s clearly in need of some straight talk and advice, there’s no point in withholding it for the sake of being polite. You’re a good person Harley, and I say that as a god-less heathen. I have to believe it. I don’t have much else.”

“Hey, Peter” Pepper Potts’ voice rang out from behind them, “Happy’s waiting downstairs for you sweetie, thanks for today. Have a nice evening.”

“Will do, and thanks” Peter said with a smile as he stretched and climbed to his feet. He gave Harley his hand to help him to his feet, “Can we please talk about Star Trek or something tomorrow? This got way too deep way too quickly.”

“You’re on” Harley said as he waved Peter goodbye and felt consumed by the curious sense of loss that ached through him every time he did so.

*

“You’re late tonight” were the cold and slightly aggressive first words Peter heard as he entered his apartment almost an hour later. The traffic from Manhattan to Queens had been a nightmare and has resulted in a very unhappy Happy.

“Yeah, traffic was backed up” Peter explained as he cautiously took off his shoes and placed his backpack and jacket nearly on the newly installed pegs Phil had put up the week before, “Where’s May?”

“Emergency at the shelter” Phil replied as he got to his feet and started to clear aware what looked to have been a fully prepared meal for three from the dinner table, “Got called out last minute. You were late. Thus rendering the meal I spent all fucking afternoon making for the three of us utterly wasted.”

“Oh” Peter’s face fell and he felt a twinge of sympathy for the man, “I’m sorry, like I said the traffic was bad, I’m sure if we just re-heat it-“

“Nah, it’s fucking ruined” Phil snarled as practically threw the now empty plates into the sink. The noise made Peter wince.

“Phil, please, we talked about this” he asked quietly, “You know the noise gets to me.”

“I just…y’know, a bit of respect and acknowledgement really wouldn’t be too hard to ask for would it, Peter?” Phil carried on, ignoring Peter’s request as he threw the cutlery in after the plates, “I spend all day here, making sure everything looks nice, preparing meals, sorting your shit out, and the thanks I get is three cold plates of Spaghetti Carbonaro and attitude from you when you walk in.”

Peter scowled.

“I haven’t given you any attitude” he replied calmly, “Phil, I’m sorry if you feel unappreciated but it’s not exactly my fault if you keep yourself cooped up all day…..hey, maybe we should get a dog or something? At least then you’ll be able to get out and walk it around the park.”

Phil scoffed.

“D’you fucking hear yourself sometimes, kid?” he snapped, “A dog. A fucking dog. Do me a favor, yeah, keep your inane stupid ideas to yourself. I get it when your aunts here cos she pities you enough to humor you but when we’re alone do me a solid and spare me. I’ve not got time for your dumbass suggestions.”

Peter felt his anger rise, why was Phil always such a dick to him? What had he ever done to the man?

“Well excuse me for trying to help you and cheer you up” Peter shouted back, “I’m not just some sounding board who’s gonna sit here and let you tear strips off me for no reason, if you have a problem Phil, I want to help you. I want to make it better.”

He was shocked when Phil reached over and held on to his wrist, tight. Peter tried to move away but Phil clamped down and he was unable to.

“You’re hurting me” he whispered.

“Listen here you snot nosed little shit” Phil snarled, “The one reason I put up with you and your god damn attitude and your god damn selfish entitlement is because I love your aunt. I want to make her happy. So don’t you dare talk to me like that in my apartment because there’s very little stopping me from punching you into the middle of next week.”

Peter scoffed.

“Really? Cos it kinda sounds like there is” he snapped, finally managing to free his wrist, “You lay one finger on me and I tell May? You’re history, pal, you’re gone.”

“D’you wanna test that theory?” Phil snapped, “Cos we can if you want.”

“I’m not scared of you” Peter said coldly, looking the man dead in the eyes, “I’ve lost more than you ever will and I’m half your age, nothing you say or do is gonna scare me. This is my home. Mine, May’s and Ben’s.”

“You need to be taught some respect” Phil matched Peter’s coldness, but the teenage boy did not flinch or back off.

“Snap” he shouted before hot tailing it into his room and pushing his chair under the door handle. It’s not that he was scared of Phil, but the man was clearly in a foul mood and Peter didn’t trust him not to follow through on his promise of pummelling Peter into oblivion of his anger continued to rise.

He briefly considered calling MJ to ask her if he could stay but thought against it. There was a conversation he needed to have with May, and he had to get to her before Phil was able to spin it to fit his own agenda.

Peter grinned as he looked down at his phone. Harley freakin’ Stark. It was just a little crush, to quote one of May’s favourite songs, but he really appreciated Harley’s growing presence in his life.

When Phil’s inevitable and apologetic knock on the door came around half an hour later, Peter moved the chair away from the door and was met by the sight of a man nearly in tears.

“I’m sorry” Phil said tearfully, “I should never speak to you like that and I sure as shit should have known better than to grab you by the wrists. Are you alright?”

“No, I’m not Phil” Peter replied honestly, “How many more times are we going to have to go through this? I don’t deserve to feel unsafe in my home, I’m going to tell May this time.”

“Please, Pete, I’m begging you not to” Phil pleaded as he stepped passed Peter into his bedroom, “You know that things haven’t been going my way lately, the relationship I have with May and you….it’s all I’ve got going for me at the moment, I don’t know what I’d do if I lose her.”

Peter’s heart ached once again as Phil went on and on about how he’d lost his apartment, felt undervalued in his job and had no real friends or social life so was just stuck in the apartment all day. Peter felt bad for the guy.

But that didn’t mean he forgave him.

“I’m telling May” Peter repeated, “And what she chooses to do about is down to her. I’m not about to sit back and let you take my life apart, not when it’s just starting to look up. I have friends and a great job, and I don’t deserve to suffer just because that makes you jealous, Phil.”

Peter almost smirked with satisfaction as he was met with a very brief look of anger from Phil the second after he’d been accused of jealousy. This was an act. It was always an act when it came to Phil.

But the man was in damage control mode and pulled it back.

“I’m sorry” he choked, “You deserve better.”

“You’re god damn right I do” Peter said with a nod as Phil turned and left his room, deflated.

*

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed, thanks for reading and the overwhelming amount of support I've recieved for this story. Love you all!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No flying until your sixteenth birthday young lady” Harley said sternly, “You know the rules.”
> 
> “Well, maybe, if I teach Morgan to fly before then she won’t have to resort to hijacking planes” Peter shot back as Harley broke into laughter, “One little problem Morgs, I don’t actually know how to fly. I just know how to fall gracefully.”
> 
> “Daddy can fly” Morgan pouted, “No fair.”
> 
> “Daddy flies around in tin” Harley reminded her, “He doesn’t fly, the tin flies.”
> 
> Peter looked genuinely scandalized at the thought of someone mocking Iron Man, which Harley made a mental note to add to his ever extending “Reasons Why Peter Parker is Too Good for this world” list. This would be the 237th entry.

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 10._

Teenagers In Love.

Peter had always hated shouting, ever since he was a little kid. He just hated loud noises. They set his anxiety off like nothing else was able to, often rendering the boy hiding under his bed covers with his knees clutched to his chest, rocking himself back and forth attempting to put off the inevitable panic attack. It was a habit he would have liked to say he’d grown out of as he became a teenager but in all honesty, his adolescence had only made the issue worse.

He was lucky that May was generally one of the mellowest people you could ever meet and her way of dealing with things Peter had done wrong was to talk to him calmly about it, rather than stand and yell at him like a lot of parents would. May yelling meant that a major line had been crossed and Peter knew that Phil had pretty much leaped over it the second he’d lay his hands-on Peter. The shouting was inevitable, Peter had never heard May sound so angry, and no one sound quite as pathetic as Phil as he tried to make excuse after excuse for his behaviour.

“He is a child!” May screamed, “You can’t expect him to respect and trust you like it’s nothing, Peter’s lost so many people, it takes time. But instead of being reasonable and giving him that, you hurt him and made him feel unsafe in his home.”

“We can get through this, I know we can” Phil pleaded, “I’ll be better. I’ll do better. I’ll make more of an effort with Peter, I do care about him you know. I wouldn’t have done all this if I didn’t care about him and want him to be better as well.”

“You think we can get through this?” May practically screeched, “You think I can let you carry on living in this apartment after you physically hurt my nephew. Not to mention the emotional damage you’ve done, he’ll probably never trust another grown man again because of you.”

“You love me, you told me the other night” Phil went on, “And you meant it, I could tell. This can’t just be over if you love me.”

“Oh believe me, it’s over” May said bitterly, “It was never real, you and me. All you were was some sad stand in for Ben because I felt a bit lonely. And believe me, Ben may have been Peter’s flesh and flood and the love of my life, but if Ben had ever hurt him like you have I’d have chucked him out on his sorry ass just the same. Only Ben would never have done that because he was a good man and loved Peter more than anything else in the world. Just like I do.”

“One mistake” Phil muttered

“Yeah, and when it comes to my kid, one strike and you’re out” May shot back, “There’s a lot of people in this neighborhood who promised to look after me and Peter when Ben died, ex-marines, ex-soldiers, a few cops. Tough guys. I don’t believe in violence and I never will, but the more time you spend begging me for another chance is another second closer to me calling them and getting them to remove you from this apartment by force. Get up. Get your things. Get out and never come near us again.”

“Where am I meant to go?” Phil snapped; Peter shot up a little as he noticed the all too familiar spark of anger light in the man’s voice. If Phil hurt May, Peter would tear him limb from limb. His fingers curled into his palm and he was ready to strike with two clenches fists if he needed to. “I defaulted on my rent, it’s the only reason I’m even here. I have nowhere else to go May, are you really gonna see me out on the streets?”

May laughed to herself.

“I happen to know a very good shelter I can put you in contact with” she said venomously. Peter couldn’t see through his bedroom door, obviously, but he knew May well enough to know that she had just taken one almighty stride towards Phil and was now really in his face.

“You’re really choosing him over me?” Phil replied, equaling May’s venom.

“The fact you believe there’s a reality where I wouldn’t says so much” May replied quietly, Peter was practically pressed against his bedroom wall trying to listen, “Peter is my world. The single most important thing in my life. You’re like dog shit I accidentally stepped in and brought home on my shoe. I can’t even describe how little I’d care if you dropped dead here and now.”

Now it was Phil’s turn to laugh.

“You really think he’s something special don’t you?” the man snarled, “All you are is a sad, lonely woman desperately trying to cling on to the last bit of family you have. Peter’s like any other kid, May, there is nothing special about him. He’ll break your heart one day. Leave you on your own.”

“Good, I hope he does” May replied effortlessly, “Because that will mean I did my job and raised a kid who is ready to take on the world. There’s nothing more to say here Phil, you can’t hurt me. I don’t care enough about anything you have to say for it to hurt me.”

“Whatever” Phil grumbled and Peter winced as the man slammed the apartment door behind him. Peter ventured out and saw May steadying herself as she sat down on the sofa and poured herself a large glass of wine.

“I’m sorry” Peter whispered as he made his way over to his aunt. She turned around and gave him a warm, glowing smile.

“You have nothing to be sorry about, baby” she said warmly, “It’s me who should be sorry for bringing that worthless amoeba into our lives.”

Peter grinned.

“I guess it’s just you and me again” she said with a smile. Peter returned her smile and picked up a picture of Ben, cradling it to his chest as he sat down next to May.

“You, me and him” Peter said softly, “Us against the world. Just like it always was.”

*

“I think you’re really brave” Harley told Peter out of the blue the next afternoon. Peter had been in two minds about whether to even head in to Stark Tower, but May was able to pick herself up and head out to work, so he figured he should have been able to as well. Besides, the Internship was proving to be an increasingly effective way of distracting Peter from his problems for a while.

He hadn’t been planning on telling Harley or Mr. Stark about what had gone on back at home but somehow found himself confessing everything about ten minutes into his shift, the catalyst being Peter almost spiralling into a panic attack when Harley had dropped a spanner causing a loud crash on the floor that sent Peter cowering under a table.

It made him feel pathetic and embarrassed but Mr. Stark had been very kind and understanding, even sharing with Peter that he’d suffered panic attacks after the Battle of New York six years ago and totally understood how Peter felt.

Harley, it transpired, had a remarkable knack for bringing people back around as well.

“Brave? Harley, we’re sitting under a table because I got scared of a spanner” Peter replied

“Yeah, but you told me why and it sounds like you’ve had a really shitty time of it” Harley explained, “It takes a lot of bravery to tell people about stuff like that. It’s really brave that you feel like you can still open yourself up to trust people after all that.”

“You’re easy to talk to” Peter said with a shrug, hiding his blushing face in his knees. Harley’s presence was a steady comfort but it wasn’t doing wonders for Peter’s ever-increasing crush on the boy. Being so emotionally vulnerable in such close proximity, with Harley being as kind and thoughtful as ever was not exactly ideal. Peter wasn’t about to fight it though. Harley smelled really nice.

“It’s been said” Harley said with a grin, “I never realized it at the time, but Dad always needed a bit of talking down when he used to get them. Mom did most of it but I helped out in my own way when I could. Never knew how it actually felt until I had that one in the bathroom when we met.”

Peter grinned.

“Crazy to think that was only eight weeks ago” he said with a smile, “Feels like we’ve kinda always been friends, don’t it?”

Harley nodded.

“Yeah, it does” he replied, “Come on, what’s say we go and get some fresh air? I don’t think we’ll be getting much work done today. Dad won’t mind.”

“As long as you don’t make me try and teach you how to do a back flip on the roof again” Peter said with a slight smirk, “I can’t have the death of the world’s most beloved teenager on my conscience.”

“I still can’t believe you never told me you did gymnastics and ballet as a kid” Harley replied, “That’s like the coolest thing ever. Anyone who picked on you for that is hereto cursed with standing on Lego’s for the rest of their lives.”

“You sociopath” Peter exclaimed jokingly.

“And you’re so good at it” Harley enthused, “If anyone ever gives you shit about it again, just do a turn or a back flip and that’ll shut them up.”

“Are you sure your Dad won’t mind if we bail on work?” Peter asked.

“Nah, like he said, he understands how you feel” Harley said with a smile, “And as your employer, I do have a duty of care towards you, Peter. Tell you what, you teach me to do a backflip and I’ll let you post one embarrassing photo from my camera roll.”

“What are we waiting for?” Peter exclaimed, rising to his feet as Harley laughed. Peter grabbed his hand and they ran out of the lab.

*

“People are saying we never get any work done and that we’re lazy” Peter said casually as he and Harley lay sprawled out on a sofa each later that afternoon. Peter had been invited to stay for dinner.

“People” Harley replied, “suck”

“We could do more work” Peter reasoned, “We’re way behind on the repairs to War Machine’s suit and let’s not even get started on the work we haven’t even begun doing for Miss Black Widow, and she scares me more than anyone.”

“Nat’s harmless” Harley said with a shrug, “I mean, yeah, she’s killed a couple hundred guys when she was in the KGB but they were all old, intimidating, creepy Russian weirdos. All I gotta do to get her on side is one flash of these puppy dog eyes, a little pout and we’ll be good. She also loves you, which helps.”

“Why?” Peter asked, “I’ve barely spoken more than three words to her.”

“Knowing Nat like I do, that’s probably why” Harley said with a grin, “Don’t worry yourself with what people on the Internet are saying Pete, that’s where madness begins.”

“I don’t think the other interns like me very much” Peter sighed.

“Screw them” Harley snapped, “All they are is just a bunch of wannabe geniuses who my Dad had to take on because they’re someone important’s niece or nephew. They ain’t the kind of company you wanna keep.”

“Oh, and you are?” Peter replied jokingly. Harley faked gasped, trying to sound offended.

“I am salt of the earth, Parker” he said lightly, “I get my Lamborghini jet washed three times a week just like everybody else.”

Peter smirked.

“I hate you” he said playfully

“Don’t even joke about that Parker, you’ll break my heart” Harley shot back, “Being hated by Peter Parker is a fate worse than death. Like, a person must have really fucked up to like an insane degree if they’ve made you hate them.”

“Yeah, well, jet washing your Lamborghini three times a week is where I draw the line” Peter said with a smile as he stuck his tongue out, “When the rest of us have to make do with twice, it’s rich schmucks like you that are overworking the car washing industry. It’s simply not sustainable.”

Just as Harley was trying to formulate a reply, little Morgan came bouncing into the room and to her big brother’s surprise, chose to snuggle up to Peter rather than him.

“Hey” Peter said in surprise as Morgan hugged him, “I didn’t know we were at this stage yet.”

“Can you teach me to fly as well?” Morgan asked, “It’s not fair that Harley knows and I don’t”

“No flying until your sixteenth birthday young lady” Harley said sternly, “You know the rules.”

“Well, maybe, if I teach Morgan to fly before then she won’t have to resort to hijacking planes” Peter shot back as Harley broke into laughter, “One little problem Morgs, I don’t actually know how to fly. I just know how to fall gracefully.”

“Daddy can fly” Morgan pouted, “No fair.”

“Daddy flies around in tin” Harley reminded her, “He doesn’t fly, the tin flies.”

Peter looked genuinely scandalized at the thought of someone mocking Iron Man, which Harley made a mental note to add to his ever extending “Reasons Why Peter Parker is Too Good for this world” list. This would be the 237th entry.

“Petey, are you staying forever?” Morgan asked with a yawn, “Cos Harley’s a lot happier since you started working here. I think you should stay forever.”

Harley blushed furiously as Peter looked a little lost for words and patted Morgan’s hair.

“That’s up to him” Peter said softly as he and Morgan looked over to Harley and both pulled the same doey-eyed, pleading expression.

“Peter is stuck with us now, Morgs” Harley said with a deep breath, “We Starks don’t let go of people we care about easily.”

“And then one day he’ll be my husband” Morgan declared with a yawn, very close to being claimed by sleep. Harley sighed.

Of freakin’ course Morgan had a crush on Peter as well. It was only natural. Your big brother starts bringing home a good-looking new friend who actually pays you and your stupid tea parties attention and is just really nice to you. Of course she had a crush on Peter. Harley was quickly coming to the realization that to know Peter for more than five minutes concluded in either a) the person wanting to adopt him or b) the person developing a big fat crush on him.

Peter blushed a little and seemed at a loss for words that Morgan was lining him up to be her future husband when the time came. The little girl had fallen asleep slumped on his shoulder.

“I think your sister has a crush on me” Peter whispered

“Jeez, Parker, any sharper and you’d be dangerous” Harley replied, “Tomorrow will officially be spent thinking of ways to let Morgan down gently. I propose, pardon the pun, we tell her at the Central Park Zoo and then leave her with the gorillas until she calms down.”

“Are you asking me to come to the zoo with you and your little sister?” Peter asked, raising his eyebrows a little as Harley blushed, “Cos that sounds very cute and I would be honoured.”

“Cool, we-we’ll do that then” Harley said breathlessly as he met Peter’s eyes and realised that the boy utterly meant every word of what he’d just said. Harley couldn’t think of something he’d like to do less than escort seven-year-old, hyperactive, animal enthusiast Morgan Stark around the Central Park Zoo but maybe with Peter there he could just about tolerate it.

“Awesome!” Peter replied, “I’ve not been to the zoo since my Uncle died, he used to take me all the time when I was a kid. It was like our thing.”

“My dad used to take me to look at private yachts sometimes” Harley offered as an attempt for a relatable response. Why was it he always became totally gauche around Peter?

Peter nodded and laughed.

“Universal experience there” he said sarcastically, “That’s definitely one to hang on to the next time you need the public to remember you’re a totally normal kid, just like them!”

“Loads of people have yachts” Harley scoffed, refusing to be beat

“Name four”

“My dad. Er…Harry’s dad used to have one but we accidentally sunk it off the French Riviera three years ago….” Harley stuttered as Peter laughed once again.

“That’s two”

“I could buy you and May one” Harley offered, “And I’m sure my friend Princess Shuri of Wakanda has one.”

“Just casually namedropping princesses that your friends with” Peter said with a shrug, “So. Much. Relatability.”

“D’you want the yacht or nah, Parker?”

*

Peter arrived home late to the sound of May and three of her girlfriends laughing as they sat around the kitchen table with a bottle of wine, leftover take-out food and Alanis Morrissette songs playing from May’s iPod. Which, of course, meant Peter was immediately greeted by May’s friends embracing him, pinching his cheeks, remarking on how much he’d grown (he hadn’t), how handsome he was now (kinda fair) and a million and one questions about Tony Stark.

“How was your day, honey?” May eventually managed to ask amongst the madness.

“Yeah, it was fine” Peter said with a smile, “I’m glad I went in. You were right. It was exactly the distraction I needed today.”

“I’m pleased honey” May replied, “And I’m proud of you. It would have been very easy to hide away under your covers till god knows when, and I would’ve understood, but I’m very pleased you didn’t. As always, you’re my little soldier.”

She was in her three glasses of wine mood.

“So, Peter, tell me” May’s friend Gina asked as she pulled Peter down into the chair next to her, “Is Tony Stark as gorgeous in real life as he is in all the photos?”

“Gina!” May exclaimed, “He’s Peter’s boss, you can’t ask him questions like that”

“It’s OK” Peter said with a laugh, “If anything, he’s even better looking. So is Pepper. And Harley. And Morgan’s almost too cute. They’re like the most beautiful family in the world.”

Peter couldn’t ignore the intrigued look May gave him following the comment.

“How is Harley?” May asked, “Such a nice young man, girls. Very polite.”

“He’s cool” Peter said with a nod, he was being extra careful with his words and body language, he really was not in the mood to have his aunt and her drunk friends guess that he had a big fat bisexual crush on Harley Stark. “He’s asked me if I want to go to a party with him on Long Island at the weekend? Is that cool with you, Aunt May?”

“As long as you’re safe and stick together” May replied with a smile, “You deserve some fun.”

“Hey, if his dad’s free, ask him if he wants to join us for cocktails” Gina added.

“He’s a recovering alcoholic” Peter reminded her.

“Right” Gina said pointedly, “Well, he can have virgin cocktails all night and-“

“I’m going to bed now!” Peter announced before Gina spoke another word and the utter cringe of the conversation became too much to bear. Peter kissed May on the cheek before heading into his bedroom. It was impossible not to think of Harley, not after spending the whole day with him.

His laugh as Peter taught him how to do a backflip.

The way he stood so patiently and took pictures with everyone who had asked him for one.

The extra generous tip he gave every waitress on shift at the restaurant they ate at.

The way he’d immediately run to Peter’s aid when he’d started having a panic attack that morning.

The way he took over from Rhodey making the waffles that evening and how they’d ended up somehow being the best damn waffles Peter had ever tasted.

The way he had immediately made sure to include Peter in the plans for the party on Long Island when Harry had dropped by with the invitation.

The way even one look from Harley made Peter’s stomach feel as if it was doing a million somersaults.

“Oh no” Peter said as he slid down his wall and buried his face in his hands, “Oh fuck.”

He was nearly asleep by the time May came in and kissed him on the forehead. Her friends were gone and she had sobered up a little.

“Hey” Peter mumbled in her sleep, “I think I’m in love.”

“I know baby” she cooed, “Don’t lose hope. I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end.”

“What do you-“ but she was gone before he could finish the question. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I love fluff and it's only going to get fluffier.
> 
> This isn't the last we've seen of Phil though. That's all I'll say.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Shut it man” Harley said as he threw a pillow at Harry but ended up laughing and flopping back on to his bed next to Harry anyway, “What the hell am I gonna do? He’s….fuck, Harry. I’m in too deep. I gotta find a way out of this.”
> 
> “You will do no such thing” Harry snapped, throwing the pillow back at him, “You and Peter are made for one another. The universe has decided. And you don’t fuck with what the universe wants. I mean, I know you’re a Stark and that gives you a bit of a leeway in at least debating your fate but yeah….you and Peter Parker. You’re the real deal.”
> 
> “I hate it when you’re right” Harley groaned, “I can’t hold back much longer Harry, I feel like I’m gonna explode whenever he’s in the room.”
> 
> “Gross. TMI, dude” Harry said with a laugh as his best friend shot him the middle finger, “Sorry, sorry, I won’t sully your love with my gross straight teenage boy-ness. You’re right. You need to make this happen and luckily for you, I’m on hand to help.”
> 
> “Oh god” Harley muttered.
> 
> “Operation make Peter Parker fall in love with you begins today, my friend.” Harry replied with a smile

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 11_

Peter Parker Breaks The Internet

“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen!” Peter exclaimed as Harry and Harley showed him the sheer volume of Internet chaos his shirtless Instagram picture had generated, “I just asked Ned to take the picture of me with your Alexa, I didn’t mean to unleash this”

“Oh please, this was a total hoe move” Harry replied with a laugh, “I know your game Parker, but you’re not about to usurp me as New York’s number one teenage bachelor”

“Speak for yourself” Harley snapped hitting his best friend over the shoulder, “Peter, don’t worry about it. I’ll rob a bank or something tomorrow and the whole world will have forgotten about your abs.”

“Maybe I should just delete the post?” Peter suggested.

“Fine. If you think it’ll make you feel better” Harry replied, “But remember that this is the Internet and people will have saved and shared that image like a million times. The internet is forever.”

Peter groaned and his head in his hands. Harley patted him on the back sympathetically.

“Like I say, man, they’ll move on to something else next week” Harley assured him once again, “And it’s not like anyone’s gonna think badly of you. You’d already charmed the whole world by just being yourself, the fact they’ve found out your hot on top of it only helps you in the long run.”

“But what about my future?” Peter cried, “I’m not gonna be your intern forever, but all my future potential employers are going to think when they see my name is that I’m some dumb kid who whored himself out for likes on the internet!”

“Hey, that is a noble cause” Harry snapped jokingly, “If we don’t promote the idea that teenagers who are wealthier than the common man can ever hope to be, are also more attractive than the common man can ever hope to be, society may well finally fall apart.”

“Dude” Harley said shaking his head as he smirked.

“But I’m not wealthy or attractive” Peter moaned, “I’m just some kid from Queens.”

“Who has the attention of a hell of a lot of people around the world” Harry reminded him, “Face it Parker, you’re a public figure now. The longer you stick with Harley and his family, the more you’re going to get attention wherever you go. Just be lucky people seem to like you.”

“I’m fairly sure anyone who doesn’t isn’t in possession of their full mental faculties” Harley chimed in as Peter groaned once again and hid his head on Harley’s shoulder. Harley patted his back sympathetically and ignored Harry’s suggestive eyebrow raise.

“I never signed up for this” Peter said sadly, “What if reporters start turning up at my door? May’s gonna be so mad.”

“Well, we’ve forbidden the press from harassing any Stark Industries intern” Harley replied, “Like…Dad’s willing to clamp down on anyone with the full force of his vast business empire if they break it, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. And we can make sure Happy just takes you anywhere you need to go. This isn’t the end of your world Peter, you’re just kind of stepping into a new part of it.”

“Yeah, you’re like a Gen-Z Christopher Columbus!” Harry exclaimed.

“That’s a truly awful comparison” Peter replied with a watery chuckle, “I just don’t want people to think I’m using my looks to….I dunno, get ahead or something? Everyone already thinks I somehow got this job handed to me; I don’t want them to think I’m just some….fuck boy.”

“Again, must you insult my entire brand” Harry scoffed with a laugh, “Don’t sweat it, Pete, this will all blow over and you’ll be back to being Harley’s cute P.A. before you know it.”

“I guess” Peter muttered as he lifted his head off of Harley’s shoulder and collected his things, “I better get going, I need to explain to May why I’m currently the third biggest trend on Twitter. She’s bound to have seen that shit. She cyberbullies the president every day.”

“See ya man” Harley said as casually as he could manage, giving Peter a brief hug before the boy left his bedroom destined for the parking lot. Harry laughed as Harley hid his own face in his hands and moaned the second Peter was gone.

“He’s so cute” Harry said with a laugh, “And you’re _soooo_ in _looovveeee_.”

“Shut it man” Harley said as he threw a pillow at Harry but ended up laughing and flopping back on to his bed next to Harry anyway, “What the hell am I gonna do? He’s….fuck, Harry. I’m in too deep. I gotta find a way out of this.”

“You will do no such thing” Harry snapped, throwing the pillow back at him, “You and Peter are made for one another. The universe has decided. And you don’t fuck with what the universe wants. I mean, I know you’re a Stark and that gives you a bit of a leeway in at least debating your fate but yeah….you and Peter Parker. You’re the real deal.”

“I hate it when you’re right” Harley groaned, “I can’t hold back much longer Harry, I feel like I’m gonna explode whenever he’s in the room.”

“Gross. TMI, dude” Harry said with a laugh as his best friend shot him the middle finger, “Sorry, sorry, I won’t sully your love with my gross straight teenage boy-ness. You’re right. You need to make this happen and luckily for you, I’m on hand to help.”

“Oh god” Harley muttered.

“Operation make Peter Parker fall in love with you begins today, my friend.” Harry replied with a smile, launching himself at his best friend and embracing him in a hug, “Though he probably already is cos he definitely watches you when you’re not looking.”

Harley blushed.

“Really?” he asked shyly, an entirely out of character action.

“I mean, he could just be in awe of how ugly you are” Harry said with a shrug, “But I’m pretty sure they’re longing, pained looks of love. Like…at least 53% sure.”

“That’s good enough for now, I guess” Harley smirked, “So…what’s first on the agenda?”

“Solve Peter’s current biggest fear” Harry replied with a smile, “And I think I know just how we can do it.”

*

Everything Harley had said, he meant from the heart. Peter was doing remarkably well with his Stark Internship. Professionally, he more than held his own with Tony and was light years ahead of Harley with all things lab related. In any other circumstances, Harley probably would have been wildly jealous and would have been plotting with Harry to get Peter discredited and thrown out of the internship, but Harley was deeply in love with the boy and couldn’t care less that he unintentionally made Harley seem like an absolute dunce by comparison.

Bruce Banner, Helen Cho and Pepper Potts were all starting to become eager to have Peter work under and shadow them for a little bit, his positive reputation had spread that much. There was even talk that some of the scientists working in Wakanda were eyeing him for a summer internship after Peter’s first year of college and Harley didn’t begrudge him one second of it. Peter deserved it. His thirst for knowledge and enthusiasm for anything to do with science was not only inspiring it was downright endearing. An excited Peter Parker was the most adorable thing in the world.

Peter had cried when Rhodey has insisted that he work on all improvements to his War Machine suit after some particularly ingenious additions to his latest model. One day when Morgan, as she so often did, crashed their lab session and nearly spilled a beaker full of chemical materials it was Peter who took her to one side and gently explained to her why it was so unsafe to be around those things without goggles and protective equipment. Now not only did Morgan have her own little set of goggles and her own lab coat, she and Peter had also started their own little side project that was a strict secret between the two of them.

And Harley swore that he would never love anyone quite like Peter Parker after that moment.

But it wasn’t just the business end of things where Peter had proven himself exception, he’d utterly charmed pretty much everyone they’d come into contact with since his appointment. He was clearly considered one of the family by Harley’s parents already and this had slowly expanded, first to Rhodey and Happy, but then to Natasha and Steve and even Nick Fury had admitted Peter seemed to be an extremely likeable and professional young man when he’d stopped by for a visit. Harley was pretty sure it was meant to be some kind of dig towards him, Harley and Nick Fury had never seen eye to eye-patch (it was perhaps due to Harley’s insistence on using that exact term to describe their relationship) but Fury did seem to at least not hold Peter in contempt after one meeting and that was pretty rare.

(“It took him ten years to begrudgingly smile at me!” Tony had said proudly)

So, yeah, Harley meant every fucking word of what he’d said in his post about Peter but also served its purpose of people taking Peter a bit more seriously. There had been a lot of talk about how cute their friendship was, how attractive people found them both, it was about time that some focus actually went to what a genius Peter was and if it helped appease his anxieties over the shirtless photo (that Harley definitely hadn’t spend a lot of the last few days drooling over whenever he had a spare moment) then that was just a bonus.

“That was a nice thing you did for Peter today” Pepper commented as the family at dinner that night.

“Haven’t you heard?” Harley shot back with a wink, “I’m America’s sweetheart.”

“So….we’ve begun being a snarky asshole even in the face of compliments then?” Tony asked lightly as Harley grinned like an idiot, staring down at his pasta and allowing his mind to wander back to Peter’s abs.

“Sorry” he said with a shrug, “Err…yeah, I guess it was. I just felt like the public deserved to know that Peter’s a genius and a hard worker and not just a pretty face with a nice set off-“

Harley deliberately cut himself off before he said too much. He knew both of his parents knew that he was deeply, deeply in love with his intern but that didn’t mean for a god damn second that they had to discuss the matter.

“That’s sweet” Pepper said with a smile, “Being in the public eye is hard, people often get one idea of you and just run with it. I know you’re used to that so it’s nice to see you making an active effort to help Peter ease into this new minefield of being a public figure. We should think about getting him and his aunt some security, you know.”

Tony nodded in agreement.

“But I thought you’d banned the press from digging into their lives” a confused Harley replied.

“We have, but Peter was a mere intern back then” Pepper explained, “Now that you and him have become…shall we say, the Internet’s new favourite friendship, the press are more likely to see Peter as fair game. I’m not saying they’re going to start crowding him like he’s Lindsay Lohan or something but it’s worth investing in a little more security, for peace of mind if nothing else”

“Oh” Harley replied, feeling a little deflated, “I didn’t even think about that. I’m not sure if Peter can handle that kind of attention Mum, he was freaked out enough over everyone losing their collective god damn minds over that photo.”

“It’ll be fine, kiddo, don’t worry” Tony replied with a knowing smile, “Peter won’t come to any harm, not whilst I have anything to do with it.”

Harley honestly felt close to tears. Peter could give as good as he could get when it came to their banter, but he was a lot shyer and timid than Harley and really hated any attention being focused on him for a pro-longed period of time.

“I guess I just never thought about how much attention he’d get” Harley muttered, “It must be terrifying if you’re not used to it. I hate it sometimes and I’ve been dealing with it all my life.”

“There’s really no need for you to worry sweetheart” Pepper said kindly as she took his hand, “Peter knows you care about him, he won’t hold it against you if some jerks from the press overstep their boundaries. He’s not like that.”

“I’d blame myself though” Harley sighed, “I’m the one who posts pictures of us all the time, I’m the one who encourages all the clickbait and stuff with my-“

“Peter contributes to all that as well, willingly” Tony snapped, “If he truly didn’t want any of the attention, he’d have deleted every piece of social media he had. But he hasn’t. It’ll take some time to adjust but he’ll get used to it in the end, as long as he focuses on work and the people he knows are his true friends. Like you.”

Harley shrugged.

“You really care about him, don’t you?” Pepper asked

Harley nodded, tearfully.

“Yeah. I do” he choked, “A lot. Like a lot a lot.”

“We kinda figured” Pepper chuckled. Tony, whom Harley had confessed his feelings for Peter to a week or so previously, just smiled with pride and ease.

“And you don’t mind?” Harley asked

“Of course I don’t honey” Pepper replied tearfully, “And for what it’s worth, I think he cares about you as well. Like a lot a lot.”

“So people keep telling me” Harley sighed.

*

“So, in the space of a week I broke the Internet and you got accepted by MJ” Peter said with a smile on his face as he and Harley spent their usual Friday early-evening staring up at the sky from the comfort of the private garden at the very top of Stark Tower, “Pretty eventful all around I’d say.”

“Me getting accepted by your anti-capitalist best friend is a major win, seismic even” Harley chuckled, “I want to go out for dinner with her and here her views on everything.”

“Really?” Peter asked, “Cos we can like totally do that, it’d be a dream come true for me, but Michelle does have this tendency to kind of….rant, for hours. Literally hours.”

“Peter, I’ve been attending meetings at the U.N. since I was four” Harley replied, “I’m sure I can deal with hearing your friend preach to the choir about carbon footprints and discrimination. It’s important to her, which means it’s important to you, which means it’s important to me.”

“Why do you always gotta say such nice things to me?” Peter asked with a yawn, “That, the Instagram posts this week…”

“I dunno man” Harley said with a fake and exaggerated shrug, “It’s almost like I really genuinely like you as a person and really value our friendship. Crazy.”

“Yeah, crazy” Peter sighed. Harley couldn’t help but notice Peter’s shoulders had slumped a little when he’d described their relationship as a friendship. Half of Harley wanted to slap himself silly for upsetting Peter, whilst the other half was willing him to convince himself Peter hadn’t slumped in a futile attempt not to get his hopes up.

But, oh, they were up now.

“I meant every word of what I said, you know” Harley told him, “I do think you’re an absolute genius, I really value having you here and everyone fucking adores you. And you’re going to change this world for the better one day, Pete, believe me.”

“Don’t see how” Peter said with a shrug, “I’m just some kid from Queens with an overactive brain and a fuck ton of issues. People like me don’t change the world.”

“Bullshit” Harley snapped, “Absolute bullshit. Anyone can change the world if they believe in what they want to do hard enough, and I’ve never met anyone who works as hard as you. Change is gonna come, you’re gonna bring it and I’m gonna stand on the sidelines telling anyone who’ll listen just how god damn fucking brilliant you are.”

Harley was aware he was saying too much, Harry had specifically told him to play it cool for the next few weeks but Peter having such a low opinion of himself had lit a match in Harley. He simply had to assure Peter of how wrong he was about himself.

They were both blushing, hard.

“So, you wanna go out for dinner with me and MJ” Peter repeated in an attempt to break the tension and steer the conversation away from the scary-holy-fuck-I-think-we-actually-like-each-other-back territory Harley had driven them into. But, despite Peter’s efforts, there was no going back for Harley now.

“Yes, I’d love that” Harley replied with a smile, moving in front of Peter as to stare directly into his eyes, he slowly moved his hand to meet Peter’s and could have jumped for joy when the smaller boy didn’t try and stop him, “But I’d also love to go out for dinner. Just me and you.”

“Oh”

“Oh?”

“I mean, yeah, that’d be-we should…we should totally do that. Yeah.”

“Yeah?” Harley replied, “And you know what I mean when I say that, right?”

Peter visibly gulped.

“I don’t wanna say it, just in case I’m wrong and it ruins everything” he confessed. Harley smiled and cupped his face.

“Maybe we don’t need to say anything” he whispered before closing his eyes and leaning in to find Peter’s lips with his own. They met. They kissed and it was brief but tender and beautiful and afterwards Harley felt like he could’ve flown around the world in about thirty seconds. He nearly laughed at how red-faced Peter had gone as he opened his eyes whilst they were moving away from one another.

Harley coughed to break the tension.

“Did…did that put my point across?” he asked softly. Peter, apparently totally breathless, nodded and pulled Harley in so they could kiss one more time.

“Dinner” Peter said simply as they pulled apart a minute or so later, “Yeah….we, we should do dinner. Like sometime next week?”

“Yeah” Harley replied, practically shaking, “I’ll err…you have like…a suit right, I wanna indulge my inner rich boy and take you somewhere really fancy. Three course meal, the works.”

“You don’t have to buy me-“ Peter began.

“And then, for our second date” Harley purposely interrupted him, “You can take me to your favourite Queens eating establishment and foot the bill. It’s an equal opportunity deal here Parker.”

Peter smiled and nodded.

“What makes you think we’re going on a second date?” Peter asked, raising his eye-brow as Harley smirked and sat himself down next to Peter.

“This” Harley said simply before pulling Peter in for another kiss.

*

“Well, congrats Parker, I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks. I really deserved these 20 McNuggets.”

“Totally what I was referring to”

“What else would you be referring to, Michelle?”

“Nothing. I’m happy you got your 20 McNuggets. And your billionaire.”

“Shut up!”

“Peter and Harley, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

“Michelle. It wasn’t funny when Mr. Stark said it, and it isn’t funny when you say it.”

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS. If you thought this chapter was just plotless gratuitious fluff just wait and see what Chapter 12 has in store. Cute first date central incoming.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Court” Harley said with a smirk. Tony nodded, then smiled.
> 
> “Good luck” he said breezily, “I’d send you one of my lawyers, kid, but I know you’re more than capable of spinning yourself out of a sticky situation and I imagine they’ll take one look at Parker and exonerate him on the spot…..that doesn’t explain why the third musketeer is here, though?”
> 
> Harry smiled.
> 
> “I’m just here to let you know that my father is very, very close to perfecting time travel” Harry said with a devilish smirk, Peter gasped in excitement but was promptly shut up by Harley subtly prodding him in the side and shaking his head. Tony, however, looked to be utterly convinced.
> 
> “Oh” the billionaire replied, “I see….well, you boys better get going. Don’t wanna miss your dinner reservation-I mean, late night court date.”

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 12._

First Dates & Near Misses.

They’d decided on something of social media blackout, at least regarding one another, though Peter was finding it harder to stick to than Harley. The Stark heir was over the moon that he had a date with Peter and that such an arrangement apparently meant they could happily sneak off and make out in some distant corner of Stark Tower whenever the mood took them throughout the day, but one thing Harley couldn’t stop himself worrying about was Peter being targeted or harassed just through being associated with Harley. If they thought people were bad when they assumed Peter was merely an intern, or a friend, it would get ten times worse if anyone picked up on the fact Harley and Peter were now romantically involved.

Barring a few minor hiccoughs, Natasha was definitely on to them, the boys had managed to go nearly a week without anyone twigging what they were up to. Or at least, no one had interrupted them mid heavy-make out session on Harley’s bed and used it as definitive proof of anything. It wasn’t that the boys were ashamed of one another or insecure in anyway about the way their relationship had changed, far from it a part of both of them just wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but they wanted some time to just enjoy one another before the inevitable intrusion and removal of all privacy came when people found out. Harley was determined to spend as much time with Peter as he could before then.

“You really don’t have to take me to such an expensive restaurant on Friday” Peter told Harley for the one thousandth time as they curled up together in Harley’s room shortly after finishing their lab work for the day early, “I looked at the menu last night, and it’s super pricey. The cheapest thing I could find that I liked cost $17!”

“I insist” Harley replied, turning to face Peter in order to look directly into his chocolate puppy dog eyes, “I know that you don’t want to feel kept or whatever, but I do wanna treat you every now and then. The food alone is worth the price and it’s not exactly like I can’t afford it.”

Peter sighed.

“Just….me and May, well, we can barely afford to spend $17 on three courses let alone one” Peter replied with another heavy sigh that made Harley’s chest lurch, “I’d just feel guilty.”

“Yeah, but remember, I made you promise to buy me dinner in return” Harley replied, “And I don’t give a shit if that involves us ending up having a picnic in Central Park in the rain, as long as we’re together, does it really matter where we go?”

“No” Peter shrugged, “I guess not.”

“You’re allowed to have people treat you from time to time, y’know” Harley replied, “There’s nothing wrong with letting your boyf-I mean, err, someone who cares about you a lot buying you dinner. It doesn’t have to mean that you feel bad about it.”

Peter smiled.

“I guess you’re right” he replied, “Sorry, it’s not that I don’t appreciate it….it’s just, and don’t take this the wrong way, but you’ve never had to worry about money so it doesn’t mean as much to you. Having a meal at a restaurant is something May and I do maybe once every few months, we just can’t afford it most of the time.”

“Oh” Harley replied, he could feel himself blushing and he immediately felt like the biggest piece of shit in the world for being such a privileged jerk, “I’m sorry…I never….I never thought…we don’t have to go at all if you really don’t want to, like I said, I don’t care if we’re eating soggy sandwiches in the rain in the middle of a park as long as I’m with you.”

“You don’t have to be sorry” Peter replied with a soft, croaky voice and a smile that made Harley’s heart pound in his chest, “You’re just trying to make me happy, and I’m the one who should be sorry for making you feel bad about it. I guess I’ll just have to swallow my pride and accept the really nice food at the really nice restaurant with you.”

“As long as you’re sure” Harley replied quietly.

“Very sure” Peter said softly as he leaned across to briefly kiss Harley, “You’re a sweetie.”

And if Harley giggled and blushed like an excited five-year-old who had just been told that he was going to Disneyland, then that was something they would keep just between the two of them.

“How long we been laying here?” Harley asked after a few more minutes of blissful silence, spent staring at one another with dopey smiles on their faces.

“Dunno” Peter replied with a laugh, “And I don’t really care. You have a nice eyes.”

“So do you”

“Yours are nicer.”

“No, yours are nicer.”

“I’m not having this fight again. Your eyes are nicer, Harley. End of.”

“Fine. Fine! Your nose is cuter.”

“Well, duh.”

“How did I end up here?” Harley asked breathlessly as he touched Peter’s cute nose, “A few months ago, I was just…I dunno, existing to exist. Thought I was happy. Guess I wasn’t really but now…now we’re here and I’m so happy but I just don’t quite know how it happened”

“Fate, maybe, if you believe in that kinda thing” Peter said with a shrug, “Or maybe we should just not overthink it and accept it for what it is.”

“And what’s that?” Harley asked.

“Luck” Peter replied simply, “No more, no less.”

“I sure do like you a lot, Parker.”

“Right back at ya, Stark”

No one meant to fall asleep. They’d only ever intended on taking a quick breather before heading back down for dinner, so when Harley awoke and shook Peter awake several hours later, both boys knew any chance of keeping anything secret from Harley’s parents had gone straight out of the window.

“Well, to be fair, friends have been known to fall asleep on one another” Peter said with a yawn, for once not being the more stressed out of the two, “It’s easy to work our way around this one, Harls.”

“Maybe” Harley mused, “I’ll just ask if I can invite you for a sleepover?”

“It’s two in the morning and we’re not six-years-old, that ship has sailed” Peter yawned once again before resting his head back on his pillow, “Now come back to bed and spoon me again before I start to lose my patience.”

“Someone’s cranky when they get shaken awake aren’t they?” Harley replied, though he was already utterly whipped by Peter Parker so he was of course already back in bed with his arms stretched around the smaller boys torso.

“You worry too much.”

“Maybe” Harley shrugged, “….Wonder if anyone told your aunt you were staying over?”.

Peter’s eyes may or may not have shot right back open.

_“Shit!”_

“Ha, not so tough now, are you?”

“It’s you she’ll kill”

“You seem happy” May commented to Peter the next morning as they sat and ate their breakfast, it was rare that they both had a day off from work that coincided with the others, so they were naturally planning on spending the whole day together. Peter was hoping to subtly get May to help him prepare an appropriate outfit for his date with Harley the next evening without revealing that he was going on a date with Harley the next evening.

“I am” Peter replied with a smile, “Work’s going really well, my friends are great, you seem happy. Life is good, and for once I’m not working myself up in to a state convincing myself it’s all about to go downhill again.”

“I’m glad to hear that, baby” May said affectionately as she reached across the table and squeezed Peter’s hand in her own, “You deserve some happiness. We both do. So…what do we wanna do on our day together? D’you want to go and out and do something, or shall we just stay at home and pig out on the sofa all day?”

“Err, both?” Peter replied with a chuckle, “I really do just wanna watch crappy movies with you but maybe that can wait until tonight? I wouldn’t mind going shopping for a new suit and tie this morning, if that’s alright with you?”

“Your current one not fit you anymore?” May asked

“Kinda” Peter shrugged, “But I wore it to Ben’s funeral and the reason I need one now is for a happier reason, and that suit feels kinda…depressing. I can afford a new one, I’ve put a lot of money aside since I started getting paid. I just need help picking out one that doesn’t make me look stupid.”

“This a Stark thing?” May asked again, raising an eye-brow this time. She was definitely on to him, and Peter was a fool for thinking he ever had a chance at pulling the wool over her eyes. She just knew him too damn well.

“Yeah” Peter replied quickly, “They-re-eh, they’re taking me-well, us, the interns out for a fancy dinner at some place in Manhattan on Friday to say thank you for all the work we’ve been doing. It’s not a big deal but I wouldn’t wanna turn up looking stupid.”

May grinned.

“I’m so proud of you, honey” she said tearfully, “Not only for doing so well at the internship but for the way you’ve bounced back this last year, it’s been amazing to watch.”

“Thanks” Peter replied quietly, feeling his face go red, “Couldn’t have done it without you though. Just sorry Phil got in the way and ruined-“

“That man should never have been in our lives” May replied with the fierce determination and fury that engulfed her voice whenever she got angry, especially angry on Peter’s behalf, “I’m just sorry we wasted so much time letting him try and come between us, biggest regret of my life.”

“He’s gone now” Peter said with a shrug, “And I’m fine, and amazingly not grounded even though I stayed out all night and didn’t tell you.”

“Hmmmm, don’t push your luck, kid” May replied tensely, “You’re just lucky that yelling at the world’s richest man gives me so much pleasure, I knew you were safe the whole time.”

“How?” Peter asked

“Oh just one of those things” May replied as she collected their breakfast plates off the table and planted a kiss in Peter’s hair as she moved into the kitchen, “Call it a non-biologically related aunt’s intuition. Also, Harley’s mom called me and told me you passed out.”

“Yet, you still called to yell at Mr. Stark?”

“Hey, I need to get my kicks somehow” May shrugged, “And he’s kinda cute when he starts getting all stammered and panicky. He cares a lot about you, I can tell.”

“Yeah, he’s awesome” Peter said casually, “So, when do you wanna head out?”

“Once we’ve cleaned up” May said with a smile, “Then, we’ll head out and get your suit for your date.”

“My what?”

“Oh please, Peter” May giggled, “You really thought you could keep that shit from me? I knew the second you walked through the door. Michelle’s right when she says you’re easier to read than Austen.”

*

“D’you ever look at yourself in a mirror and think, damn, I’m really too good-looking for words?” Harley asked Harry Osborne the next evening. It was t-minus one hour until his date with Peter and the teen had concluded that if Peter’s most trusted person could know about the date, then so could his. Telling Harry had proved to be a beneficial move as the boy had volunteered himself to drive Harley and Peter to the restaurant and back in one of his father’s cars with blacked out windows.

Harry rolled his eyes.

“Daily, and you know that” he replied, “You do look pretty fuckable Stark, you could maybe even persuade me to start batting for your team.”

“Like we’d have you” Harley scoffed, “…..Seriously, do I look alright?”

“Yes, you look fine” Harry insisted, “Parker will take one look at you and do that stupidly cute speechless thing he does. It’ll be adorable, you’ll be adorable and then at your wedding in six years’ time, I will proudly recall this moment in my best man speech if I can be heard over the sound of your father’s hysterical happy sobs.”

“Eurgh, can’t you stop him?” Harley asked

“I can’t change the future Harley, I just know it” Harry replied with a wink, “It’s a shame you lose your left ear weeks before the wedding but Peter loves you just the same. I, on the other hand, have to be very seriously persuaded into continuing to associate with you.”

“Asshole”

“Correction, future asshole” Harry smirked, “I wish time travel were real.”

“Same” Harley mused, “Hey, wait a minute, we could totally make time travel a thing.”

“You can barely get your head around a toaster, Stark” Harry reminded him.

“Nah, but, here me out” Harley went on, “I reckon if we each go back to our dad’s and tell them that the other one is secretly really close to cracking time travel once and for all, their decades long dick measuring contest will spur them into action and then one of them will eventually come through, discover time travel and then we can use it at our leisure. I’m definitely going back in time; I need to see whether Nick Fury has always existed cos he’s definitely proof dinosaurs once roamed this earth.”

OK, fine, Harley was definitely spewing out any old crap he could think of to formulate a conversation and keep his incredibly nervous mind off of his date with Peter until the boy actually arrived. He didn’t know why he was so nervous. He’d dated before, he’d even dated people he’d genuinely liked before and not once had he felt the onslaught of butterflies in his stomach that he was facing now.

“You’re nervous because Peter really matters to you” Harry told him, as if he was somehow able to read Harley’s exact thoughts, “It’s because you and Peter had a really strong friendship before all of this and you know if it goes wrong, the friendship can’t come back and you’ll have lost him forever.”

“Thanks, that’s exactly what I needed to hear right now” Harley muttered bitterly

“Except” Harry continued, “It’s not going to go wrong, because you and Peter are the kind of people who know how to fight for what they really want, and you’re perfect for one another so it’s all going to work out fine and I will be making that speech at your wedding in six years whilst your dad cries into his empty champagne glass.”

“What if I mess it up?” Harley asked quietly, decidedly not in the mood for jokes, “I will. I mess everything up, in the end, and I’ll do something stupid that drives Peter away.”

“You won’t” Harry assured him, “You and Peter ain’t even known each other that long but it’s super clear that you mean more to one another than anyone else in the world. You won’t mess it up. He won’t let you; I won’t let you and when it comes down to it I know that you won’t let you, either. This is only your first date, Harls, don’t ruin it by making yourself panic about things that are never going to happen. Just enjoy this. Enjoy Peter.”

*

Harley thought he’d gotten over the worst of his nerves by the time that Peter arrived at the tower ready for their date, but the boy had had the cheek, the bare faced nerve to turn up looking so gorgeous that it reduced Harley to being the speechless wreck and caused Harry to make a squeak that sounded positively inhuman and definitely not heterosexual. Even the somewhat confusing addition of a tatty black back pack couldn’t diminish just how good Peter looked in his suit.

“God damn” Harry said to himself as Peter bashfully took a step inside, nervously placing a hand behind his head. Harry nudged Harley forwards.

“It’s too much, isn’t it?” Peter said nervously, “I knew it, I knew it was-“

“It’s perfect” Harley said quickly, “It’s perfect, you’re perfect, you look absolutely perfect. If anything, I feel like a troll stood next to you.”

“Are you kidding me?” Peter replied incredulously, “You look like sex on legs, Harley Stark. I nearly lost my breath when you opened the door, who gave you the right to look…to look like that”

“Who gave you the right?” Harley snapped back, “You’re like a fantasy. Damn.”

“OK, this is weird, we’re not normally this nice to one another” Peter replied, “If one of us doesn’t say something at least borderline snarky in the next thirty seconds the world might very well implode”

“As long as I’m with you when it happens, I don’t care.” Harley replied, smiling to himself for how quickly he was able to come up with such a smooth reply. Peter blushed as Harry whistled under his breath, clearly impressed with his best friends game.

Just as Harley was about to kiss Peter on the cheek, however, a confused looking Tony Stark entered the lobby and raised his eyebrows at the sight of his son, son’s best friend and favourite intern all stood looking like they’d just been caught doing something they really shouldn’t.

“Dad, what brings you out at night?” Harley asked.

“FRIDAY told me Peter was in the building” Tony replied slowly as he moved towards Peter and dropped a pair of earphones into his hand, “I assumed he was here because he forgot these, but clearly there’s something else going on here.”

“What’d you mean?” asked Harley, “There’s nothing going on here, is there boys?”

“Not a thing” Harry asked effortlessly. Peter merely pursed his lips and shook his head; everyone present knowing he was utterly incapable of lying convincingly.

“So, why are two out of three of you dressed in suits?” Tony asked, folding his arms, “You wear it very well, Peter, by the way. I saw your aunt’s post.”

“Thanks, sir” Peter squeaked, hoping beyond hope that Tony didn’t realize how much of Peter’s current look was modeled from him.

“So, where are you going dressed like that at this time of night?” Tony asked once again.

“Court” Harley said with a smirk. Tony nodded, then smiled.

“Good luck” he said breezily, “I’d send you one of my lawyers, kid, but I know you’re more than capable of spinning yourself out of a sticky situation and I imagine they’ll take one look at Parker and exonerate him on the spot…..that doesn’t explain why the third musketeer is here, though?”

Harry smiled.

“I’m just here to let you know that my father is very, very close to perfecting time travel” Harry said with a devilish smirk, Peter gasped in excitement but was promptly shut up by Harley subtly prodding him in the side and shaking his head. Tony, however, looked to be utterly convinced.

“Oh” the billionaire replied, “I see….well, you boys better get going. Don’t wanna miss your dinner reservation-I mean, late night court date.”

“Yeah, bye dad!” Harley said quickly, “I’ll be back by 11….unless I get sent to juvie.”

“Good luck kid” Tony replied as Harley pulled Peter out of the door before he could say his own goodbye.

Tony knew damn well where they were going, of course, but if that was the game that his son wanted to play with him, then so be it.

Just gave him more time to focus on inventing time travel before Norman Osborne managed to.

*

Harley had thought ahead and gotten himself and Peter reserved on a table at the very back of the already dimly lit restaurant, had any staff sign a non-disclosure form before their arrival and somehow persuaded the owner to stay open an extra half an hour. It was a rich kid flex, for sure, but Harley just wanted Peter to have one evening where he was treated like the absolute prince he was and screw anyone if they thought that made Harley a spoiled rick kid or a bad person.

“This food is definitely worth the price” Peter groaned in pleasure around half-way through finishing off his starter, “Incredible. Utterly incredible. Ten out of ten.”

“Peter, they’re mozzarella sticks.”

“Harley, they’re ten out of ten mozzarella sticks.”

Harley smiled and found himself just watching Peter and enjoying how adorable the boy was as he got excited about everything from the food to the artsy paintings on the wall and even the after-dinner mints that were presented to them following desert. They’d not talked about much. That wasn’t to say that the meal had been silent or awkward in anyway, just that anything deep and meaningful they’d needed to say to one another had been instead replaced by general observations about everyone around them. Peter’s wild imagination had driven him to invent hilarious backstories for each of the restaurants patrons that evening, backstories that had Harley nearly falling out of his chair.

He’d spent a lot of time with Peter over the last few months, but it was almost as if he was seeing him in an entirely new light on the date. Peter was wickedly funny, effortlessly charming and really not as innocent as everyone liked to think he was (the fact he’d initiated the very intense game of footsie that had lasted from ordering appetizers to the desert dishes being cleaned away confirmed as much).

“You had a good time, then?” Harley asked as he was handed back his credit card, which practically had smoke coming off of it considering how much money had just been taken from it.

“The best” Peter replied softly, “Thank you, and thank you for not letting my dumb pride get in the way and ruin what has been an amazing first date. Can’t wait to show you mine.” He added a wink at the end of his sentence and Harley could feel himself going a little bit crazy, he needed to kiss Peter and now, but the boy knew his powers.

“Yeah, as nice as this was” Harley replied as coolly as he could, “I’m definitely in the mood for eating greasy chicken wings in sweats on our next date.”

“I know a place” Peter replied, just as a rather frantic looking Harry appeared and clamped his hands down in the middle of the table and looked directly at Harley.

“I need to go” Harry announced.

“What?” Harley asked.

“That waitress I’ve been flirting with all night asked me back to her place” Harry explained, “She’s 18, don’t worry, I checked I wasn’t accidentally hooking up with a 23-year old again. But her shift ends now and we kinda wanna…”

“Gross” Harley moaned, “We’re being romantic up here. Go and have your grimy, straight person sex with someone you just met. We can make our own way home.”

“Thanks dude, love ya” Harry announced before pulling Harley’s head into his arms and landing a sloppy kiss on his temple before rushing out, arm-in-arm with the waitress.

“You were being romantic?” Peter asked once Harry had gone.

Harley gulped. Had he fucked this up?

“Yeah” he said quietly.

“Oh, that’s a shame” Peter replied, his voice dangerously low, “I was hoping for smutty.”

“We’re not there yet” Harley said with a laugh, “Wait until we’re making out under a streetlight for your mind to enter the gutter, Parker.”

“But you already dragged me down there” Peter shot back.

“That I did” Harley said proudly as he took Peter’s hand, “But I don’t really wanna rush into anything…properly physical too quickly, do you?”

Peter’s face softened. His shook his head.

“Not really” he admitted, “I was just feeling…I dunno, amorous. How you persuaded them to let us have a glass of red wine each when your birth is on public record is beyond me.”

“Some of have enhanced strength, some are the God of thunder, some are talking raccoons….my superpower just happens to be money” Harley said, his voice cocky with renewed confidence. Now it was Peter’s turn to purse his lips and blush a little. One thing Harley had managed to learn throughout the evening was that him playing up to the cocky, spoiled rich boy act had a clear and obvious affect on Peter.

“And kissing” Peter reminded him, “You’re a damn good kisser.”

“Well, what’re we waiting for?” Harley asked, loosening his tie a little, “Let’s get out of here and find a dimly lit streetlight to make out under.”

“You’re on” Peter replied and before he knew it, Harley was being dragged out of the restaurant by his hand and Peter was practically sprinting until they could find somewhere to press their lips together. They eventually found a location and let the kissing commence.

Harley yelped when Peter’s hands reached around and cupped his ass, but he soon settled into the position and felt as if he was in heaven.

And maybe, he was.

*

They parted ways at the subway station. Harley was worried about Peter getting all the way back to Queens on his own at almost midnight, but the smaller boy as always insisted he would be fine. Peter seemed to have no qualms about maneuvering around New York City by himself at night, something which surprised Harley greatly as he wasn’t too fond of the practice himself and he was only five minutes away from his home.

Peter remained unbothered and happily allowed Harley to kiss him before they parted ways. Harley had wanted to insist on remaining with Peter until he saw him get on his train but Peter had refused to hear a word of it and sent Harley on his way after one final, passionate kiss. No one else was around so the boys felt fairly safe being openly affectionate with one another.

Harley only had to walk a few blocks to get back to the tower, which was obviously visible against the night sky for his entire walk, and found his mind effortlessly wondering back and replaying all of his favourite moments from the date. Peter’s jokes. Peter’s laugh. Peter’s adorable reaction to the waiters coming over and grating parmesan cheese on to his Spaghetti Bolognese. Peter declaring there were far too many forks and requesting all but two be taken from the side of his plate. Harley had loved every second of it. He was sure Peter must have had a flaw, no one was perfect, and he’d probably find out in time what it was but as Harley Stark walked home he was fairly convinced Peter Parker was perfect.

He was brought sharply out of his dream like state by a sharp punch to the jaw, followed by him hitting the floor and immediately assuming the fetal position as whoever had attacked him started to kick down on his chest and jam their legs into his ribs.

“Get off!” Harley cried out as the two men laughed.

“Holy shit!” one of them said, “It’s that Stark brat. The one who stole daddies plane.”

“You’re fucking right” the second replied, sounding positively gleeful, “What’re the chances?”

“Let’s get him in the car” Man #1 suggested, “Tie him up, get some pictures out, I reckon Stark will pay out millions to get his son back.”

Harley, groggy and barely conscious from his blow to the head, lay groaning on the floor. He tried to weakly protest what the men were about to do with him but no sounds seemed to be able to escape his lips and he lay helpless as the two men dragged him into an alleyway and propped him up against a wall. The next thing he knew his legs and wrists were bound together and there was tape over his mouth. He could feel blood trickle down from his forehead.

One of the men had disappeared to go and retrieve their car and Harley had all but resigned himself to a long time stuffed in a car trunk, but just as the second man returned, a hooded figure in red landed on the car’s roof and effortlessly took down both men. Harley was sure he must have been concussed as the mysterious figure seemed to shoot out what looked to be silly string from his wrists and left both of the men stuck to the wall behind them.

If it was silly string, it was very strong silly string.

Soon, the figure in red approached Harley and knelt down in front of him. He wiped some blood away from Harley’s head before removing the tape from his mouth and untying his wrists and legs.

“You OK?” he asked.

“Head hurts” Harley groaned, “Wanna go home”

“Don’t worry buddy, we’ll get you home” the figure replied, “I know your name, everyone knows your name cos you’re really famous, but I need you to tell me your name so I know you’ve not been hit over the head too bad.”

“Harley” the boy replied, “Name’s Harley. Been on a date.”

“Lucky you” the figure replied.

“Very lucky, he’s awesome, and really sexy” Harley laughed a little, “My head feels funny.”

“It will do” the figure said kindly, “You took a pretty hard punch.”

“You sound familiar” Harley told the man, unable to determine just where he’d heard the voice before, “You gotta tell me your name too.”

“My name?” the figure replied, “That’s a secret, but I can tell you a name I go by if you want.”

“K, what is it?”

“Spider-Man”

“Spider-Man, that’s silly” Harley replied with a laugh, “You only got 4 limbs.”

“Ah, good, you can still count as well” Spider-Man replied, “I made a call and your Dad’s on his way, he should be here any second, I’m gonna go and deal with the police. Those two guys are gonna go away for a long, long time.”

“OK” Harley yawned, “I’ll wait for Dad. Bye Spider-Man, even though you’re not a Spider. Or a man.”

“Bye Harley” Spider-Man said as he stood up, “Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner.”

And with that, Spider-Man was gone and within three seconds, Tony Stark stepped out of his Iron Man suit and rushed to his son’s side.

As Tony fussed around him, all Harley could think of was the fact that Spider-Man sounded awfully familiar and that he couldn’t wait to tell Peter all about him.

“Need to check Peter’s alright” Harley muttered as Tony lifted him up bridal style and carried him towards the car where Happy was waiting for them, “Need to check-“

“When we get home, kiddo” Tony replied lightly as he settled Harley down in the car, “We’ll get you cleaned up and then you can talk to him. It’s a shame this had to happen tonight.”

“Had such a good time” Harley muttered, “We made out.”

“I should think so too” Tony replied with a smile, “Just….must have been the relief of not going to prison after your late-night court hearing. Just a shame you got a concussion the second you left.”

“Didn’t go court, Dad” Harley whispered as he rested his head on his Dad’s shoulder, “Went on a date with Peter and it was really nice and we made out for like ten minutes after. He’d never had a waiter put parmesan cheese on his Spaghetti before. He’s so cute Dad, I love him. And Spider-Man. I love Peter Parker and I love Spider-Man.”

“That’s just swell, kiddo” Tony replied as he kissed his son on his concussed head.

*


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Really?” Harley asked with a blush.
> 
> “Really” Peter confirmed with a nod.
> 
> “Wow. All this time, I thought it was just me” Harley sighed, “I mean, Love Is An Open Door is so obviously the best song on the Frozen soundtrack. Like, there’s not even a debate I-“
> 
> “Harley” Peter groaned, “I’m trying to say that I….y’know, you too”

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 13._

It’s God’s Day.

Harley was stressed. Not the least because he’d just barely survived a beatdown and kidnapping attempt that had brought him, once again, to the forefront of news around the world. Pepper had counted and Harley’s face had been plastered across pretty much every single major news outlet as their leading story the day after the attack, he’d broken (his own) Twitter record for longest time held as the world’s number one trending topic and four former presidents had issued statements to wish him well. Not to mention the hoard of reporters who had been camped outside of Stark Tower for at least a week in hopes of catching a glimpse of the boy’s injured face, causing major disruption and headaches to pretty much every Manhattan native in the process.

It was embarrassing, to say the least. Normally whenever Harley became a trending topic it was at least down to something he had had some control over, but the whole world knowing he’d been jumped in an alley and nearly bundled into a trunk was a little humiliating. Not helping was the fact that his parents had pretty much relegated him to being under house arrest until the media storm blew over and being cooped up in his room was never something Harley enjoyed. At least whenever he’d been grounded he’d had some sense that he’d earned the restrictions but this was entirely different. For once, Harley was the _victim _in the situation and he was still suffering the same consequences. By the third day, he was positively stir crazy.

“Still front-page news?” Harley asked Harry Osborne on the Sunday morning a week after his attack. With Norman Osborne away in Europe for a few weeks on business, Harry had taken it upon himself to move into Stark Tower to play nursemaid to his best friend whilst he recovered. Harry had never liked staying home alone.

Harry smirked and handed a plate of toast to Harley.

“No such thing as bad press, baby” he said, shooting Harley a wink before gracefully hopping over the injured teenager and landing on the other side of him. Mimicking Harley’s stretched out position, he leaned over and snatched a piece of toast.

“How much more mileage can they get out of ‘boy gets attacked’?” Harley groaned, “Or is there just another stick they’re using to bash my Dad with.”

“Very much” Harry said with a grin, “He needs to keep a tighter reign on you apparently. We been knew. Also, they think you should be given your own security team.”

“They can fuck off” Harley snapped, “I think Mom only just about managed to convince Dad not to take up the job himself. That’s all I need. Imagine I’m on a date with Peter, aware Dad and Uncle Rhodey are lurking behind a tree _thinking _they’re being inconspicuous.”

“Like you can ever focus on anything but Parker when you’re around him” Harry scoffed, “You get well and truly lost in those doe eyes.”

Harley blushed a little. It was true, and the worst part of being cooped up was that he hadn’t seen Peter for a week and he swear he ached for him. But it was more than just the doe eyes. Harley had probably spent more time in the last week looking at Peter’s now iconic shirtless Instagram post than he’d done anything else. It hadn’t been helping his feelings of….frustration all that much. Pepper had cancelled the interns coming in for the week, determined that asking a hoard of nerdy teenagers to wade through a crowd of reporters every day was borderline unethical. Harley tended to agree, though he was sure Peter would have coped, especially considering the boy dressed in red spandex and fought crime on a daily basis.

Oh yes, now he was a tad more cognisant, Harley was sure that the ‘Spider-Man’ who had come to his rescue at the last minute had been none other than Peter Parker himself. A week cooped up in doors had granted Harley and Harry plenty of time to research Spidey’s antics and it turned out the web slinging vigilante was already quite well known around Queens and some of the other boroughs. Harley hadn’t been surprised at all to find out his father already had quite an extensive file keeping a track on his antics, though the guy seemed to spend more time focusing on saving cats from trees and helping little old ladies across the road than he did taking down major crime organizations. That had been something of a relief.

Harley didn’t really know what to do about his suspicions, he was sure Peter would deny them if asked and he didn’t want to argue about it. As long as Peter seemed to be keeping himself safe, Harley had no immediate desire to confront him about being Spider-Man.

Just as Harley was about to snarkily reply to Harry’s dig about getting lost in Peter’s eyes (even though he knew it was totally true), his bedroom door burst open and Morgan Stark came skipping in with a goofy grin plastered all over her face. She’d been kept mainly in the dark about the nature of Harley’s attack at her big brother’s insistence and had just been told that Harley had tripped and fallen over on his way back from his date with Peter. He was sure the wickedly clever for her age Morgan already knew she’d been fed a total lie but chose to go along with it for his sake.

Harley and Harry were both total suckers for Morgan and couldn’t resist grinning wildly back at her as Harry leaned down and picked Morgan up, placing her safely between them on Harley’s bed. She snuggled into her big brother’s side and planted a wet, sloppy kiss on his cheek. She then did the same to Harry.

“What was that for, Morgs?” Harley asked fondly.

“Dunno” Morgan shrugged, “Well….OK, Mommy said she and Daddy are gonna be in the office all day so you two have to watch me”

“And what do you wanna do?” Harry asked

“Watch Frozen” Morgan replied with a smile, “It’s mine and Harley’s favourite movie.”

“Oh really?” Harry said playfully as Harley blushed a little and deliberately avoided eye-contact with his best friend, “That’s cute. I like that movie too. What’s say you and me go and make us some popcorn to watch with it?”

Morgan nodded enthusiastically, before frowning a little and turning to Harley.

“You’re sad” she said almost accusingly, “I can tell. Your eyes are grey.”

“I’m fine” Harley insisted. It was a lie. They all knew it.

“Sad!” Morgan insisted, “Stop being sad, we’re watching Frozen. Maybe you can ask Peter to come over and watch it with us!”

“Peter can’t-“

“He can” Harry interrupted with a smile, “Dude, you clearly miss him and you do seem kinda down, I’m sure Happy can go and pick him up without anyone noticing. Just ask him.”

Harley sighed.

“I can’t say no the two of you” he said with a slight smile as he pulled his cell phone out, “And make sure that mine is salted, not buttered.”

“So weird” Harry replied with a laugh, “I have no idea why Parker’s so gone for you.”

“Peter likes salted caramel!” Harley called after his best friend once he’d left.

*

Peter was frustrated. In the week since Spider-Man had saved Harley Stark, he’d not laid eyes on the boy who made his heart race a little quicker every time he saw him since. It’s not that he was worried about Harley’s welfare to any great extent, he knew that Tony and Pepper would ensure that their son and heir received the best possible medical care possible, but rather he just fucking missed being around Harley. It made sense that he wasn’t allowed into the tower that week, it had been swarmed with reporters, and he could have dealt with a week of texting and Facetimes if not for the fact that Harley’s picture may as well have been projected onto the sky for how omnipresent it had become everywhere else.

“You’re pining” May said simply over breakfast on Sunday morning

“I am _not _pining” Peter insisted, “I am merely bored. MJ and Ned are both on vacation and the drawbridge is still up at Stark Castle.”

“Pining” May repeated, “Classic pining. Little sad sighs to yourself when you think I’m not around, moping around the house all day not getting dressed, looking at Harley’s social media all the time as if he doesn’t text you on the hour every hour…”

“Fine, fine, so I’m pining a little. Can you blame me?” Peter cried, “I finally find someone I really like and then just when we get together, he gets attacked and his parents freak and won’t let him out of the house and oh-he also happens to be the world’s most famous teenager so I can’t even go and see him because half the news media are camped outside his house. Which isn’t a house. It’s an ivory tower.”

_Also, I’m Spider-Man and I saved him but I can’t tell anyone._

“Certainly an unusual situation you’ve found yourself in kiddo” May said with a shrug, “I can give you advice on ways to keep your mind off Harley, but as for the rest of it, I’m drawing blanks. The press will get bored and move on to something else soon. I’m sure.”

“This sucks” Peter huffed, “And you have to work today so it’s just gonna be another day I’m cooped up in here on my own.”

“I’m sorry baby” May said affectionately as she took his hand and squeezed it, “I promise that we’ll do something at the weekend. We haven’t gone to see-“

“I am not going to see your crazy aunt Gladys in Brooklyn-“

“She misses you!”

“She hates me!”

“Oh, she does not hate you” May said with a laugh, “She lets you into the apartment and doesn’t try and launch a vase at your head every time. That’s more than Ben ever got.”

“Comforting” Peter muttered, “I have some money saved up from work, maybe we could just go out for a nice dinner somewhere for a change? I am used to the high life now, after all.”

“I’d like that” May said with a smile, “We deserve a treat. Maybe you could ask Harley along and I can finally get the chance to question what his intentions are with my perfect little nephew.”

“I am not perfect” Peter replied.

“Maybe not” May shrugged, “But you _are _little and you _are _my nephew, so two out of three. I just want to know that Young Mr. Stark has only honorable intentions towards you.”

Peter blushed as several not-so-honorable texts that Harley and he had sent to one another over the past week came flooding into his memory. May seemed to realize this as she smirked a little before moving to her purse and pulling out a packet of condoms. She gently pushed them towards Peter from the other side of the kitchen table. He wanted the ground to swallow him up right there and then.

“May, I-“

“We’re not having the talk, don’t worry” May said sweetly, “I know Ben got most of that done in time. I just want to make sure that you and Harley, if you get to that point, are y’know…”

“We’re not at that point” Peter insisted, “We are nowhere near that point.”

_As much as I want us to be._

So what? He was horny. He was a teenage boy; it was his birth right.

“Are you sure?” asked May

“Yes, I’m sure” Peter replied, “We’ve been on one date and done nothing more PG13 than make out under a lamp post. This is very premature.”

“All the better then!” May exclaimed, “You can go in fully prepared when you are ready. I know it won’t be Harley’s first time, just a guess, but it’ll be yours and it’ll be even more special if-“

“You said we weren’t having the talk!”

“This isn’t the talk; this is just me giving you some helpful advice.”

“It sounds a lot like the talk.”

“Your uncle gave you the talk.”

“Yes, and he used a very graphic watermelon analogy whilst doing it” Peter cried out, “If you think there was any way I was ever going to forget that then you must be very naïve. I know what I’m doing.”

“Ahh, so you _are _doing something?” May replied teasingly. Peter frowned.

“No, that’s not what I-I meant, I’m prepared for-oh, you’re enjoying this way too much” Peter stuttered as May descended into hysterical laughter.

“Oh honey, you’re so cute when you’re flustered” she said affectionately as she got up and maneuvered herself around the table so she was standing behind him. Gently, she wrapped her arms around his neck and planted an affectionate kiss on his temple. Peter couldn’t help but smile.

“I miss Ben” Peter muttered, taking himself somewhat by surprised. It was, of course, a given that he missed Ben at any given second of every day but he had no idea why he’d just felt the need to inform his aunt of the sensation.

“Me too honey” she sighed, “Me too. Hey, maybe we can go and visit him on Saturday instead of crazy old Aunt Gladys? Tell him all about Harley?”

“Yeah” Peter smiled as a text came through on his phone, “Yeah I’d like that.”

He read the text. It was from Harley.

_“PJ and movie day with me, morgs and haz. Happy coming to pick you up. Get your sweats on Parker, I’ve missed you __😉__”. _Peter beamed and kissed May on the cheek.

*

It was the sing-along Frozen, because Morgan Stark had all three teenage boys wrapped around her petite little fingers and damn well knew it. Harley would have been embarrassed were it not for the fact that Harry was the definition of all or nothing wrapped into one astounding human and happily belted out every song with the passion of Celine Dion even if in actuality he sounded like someone Simon Cowell would have laughed out of the room during American Idol auditions. Peter, who was too nice for his own good, turned out to have a very nice singing voice that invaded Harley’s mind and caused him to spend the last 2/3 of the film daydreaming about Peter serenading him.

Once the film was over, Morgan insisted on showing Harry her newest Iron Man den that she’d built in the Tower’s basement so dragged him off by the hand, leaving Harley and Peter totally on their own for the first time since their date.

“How’re you feeling? Really?” Peter asked softly as he allowed Harley to rest his weary head on his shoulders, absent mindedly running his fingers through Harley’s golden locks as he did so, “Seems as if you took one heck of a beating, I’ve been worried about you.”

“Ain’t that sweet” Harley hummed with a sense of satisfaction, “I’m good. Jaw still hurts a bit and I don’t think I’m gonna be in any rush to walk by myself at night anywhere for a while.”

“As if I’d ever give you that option” Peter smirked, “From now on, I’m your personal bodyguard. No one’s getting near you if I’ve got anything to do with it.”

Harley smirked, a part of him wondering if Peter had veered this close to the Spider-Man discussion on purpose. Maybe he didn’t want to just tell Harley all on his own, maybe he knew that he wouldn’t be able to deny it if Harley asked him outright and was hoping he’d able to prompt him into doing so? Either way, it was the final bit of confirmation Harley needed to be one hundred percent sure his theory was correct.

“Spider-Man was the real hero of the day” Harley said with a yawn, “You heard of him, right? Well known around Queens apparently, I never heard of him until he saved my ass. Seems weird that he’d be over here in Manhattan doesn’t it? From what I’ve read from my dad’s file-“

“Your-your dad has a file?” Peter’s eyes were wider and filled with a look of dread, though he was trying desperately to strain his voice into being as casual as he could make it.

“Oh yeah, he’s been pretty secretive about it though” Harley explained, “Mom knows and now I do I guess, and you. We’re an exclusive club. I think he’s planning on reaching out to old Spidey pretty soon, give him a helping hand. That suit needs a major upgrade.”

Peter blushed. Hard. Harley grinned; he was the worst liar in the world.

“Harley, I-“

“I know”

Peter’s eyes widened again and he sighed.

“Really? How?”

“It ain’t exactly hard Pete” Harley said with a grin, “You didn’t even try and disguise your voice, and it makes a weird kind of sense when I start to think about it.”

“You can’t tell anyone” Peter muttered, “Not even your Dad. Not yet.”

“Lying to my Dad is second nature at this point” Harley grinned, “I’ll keep your secret, but only if you make me a promise right here right now and mean it.”

“What?” asked Peter

“You let me help you” Harley replied, “I don’t mean I’m gonna join you and start swinging from skyscrapers in red lycra, but I can help you improve your suit, make it all a little bit safer. Dad’s great and I think he genuinely wants to help you, but his method of helping can be a little suffocating. And controlling.”

Peter paused for a moment and considered this. Harley could tell he’d pushed the boy to the very brink of his anxieties by being so blunt, but he’d rather a few seconds of anxiety than Peter attempt to carry on keeping this massive secret and deal with the stress of it all on his own.

“OK” Peter said slowly with a smile, “Thank you.”

“No, thank _you_.” Harley enthused, “You saved my life. I’d either be dead or gagged in some creepy dude’s basement waiting for my Dad to pay ransom money if it wasn’t for you. I owe you everything.”

“You really don’t” Peter replied, shaking his head and holding back some tears, “I’m just doing what I have to do. It’s kind of my responsibility.”

“How’d you mean?” asked Harley

“Well, the reason I do it” Peter carried on, “You didn’t wanna know that?”

Harley shrugged. In his head, it all made sense without needing a direct explanation from Peter. He was the kindest, bravest and most selfless person that Harley had ever met so it made perfect sense that he’d dedicate a large amount of his time to helping people out however he could. Peter was a good person, that was all the explanation Harley needed.

“It doesn’t matter to my why you do it, as long as you keep yourself safe” Harley answered, “The full story can wait if you don’t wanna tell me it now. I would like to know how you managed to pick up that entire school bus in the YouTube video though.”

“I got bitten by a radioactive spider, no joke” Peter said with a slight smile, “It…err, I don’t know how it happened but the bite kinda…sent my senses all haywire. Enhanced hearing, sight, smell, touch. Everything. I don’t know how much I can lift but it’s a lot. That school bus was pretty much like picking up a pencil.”

“Wow” Harley replied, genuinely awed, “That must be….that must be a lot. Is that-is that why you were getting panic attacks and all that?”

“Partly, sometimes it all gets a bit much” Peter said softly, “The panic attacks and stuff were happening way before the bite though. Ever since I was a kid, really. They just got worse after Ben died.”

Harley almost asked who Ben was, but thankfully stopped himself at the last moment. Ben was Peter’s uncle who had died a year or two before. He vaguely remembered reading that the Uncle of one of the kids from his school had been shot and killed by a mugger and his nephew had been on the scene, but Harley had been so up his own ass back then that he’d just shrugged off the news and went on with his life as if nothing had happened. It was only when he’d started talking to Peter that he’d quickly realized he’d been the nephew in question.

“You’ve never talked to me about him” Harley said sadly, “Not saying you have to, of course, but you do know I’m always here to listen if you want. And I’m sorry I was such an ass back when he was killed, I should have at least come up to you and said I was sorry for your loss or whatever.”

“Why? No one else did” Peter replied bitterly, “Except Ned and MJ, no one gave a shit after that first week and all the fuss died down. I just went back to being the Peter no one noticed.”

“I’m sorry” Harley sniffed, wiping a few loose tears away from his eyes (damn empathy), “That must have sucked, Ned and MJ are the real ones, I guess. Was it…was it then you decided to become Spider-Man?”

Peter gave him a tearful nod and whimpered slightly.

“I already had my powers by the time Ben died.” Peter cried a little, “I should’ve been able to step up and save Ben but in that moment, with a gun pressed to my face, I just couldn’t do it. His last words to me were that I shouldn’t blame myself, but I did. Still do.”

“It’s not your fault” Harley whispered, pulling Peter in closer, “The only person to blame is the scumbag who murdered your Uncle.”

From the sigh Peter gave, it was clear he didn’t believe Harley’s words but he leaned in closer anyway and now they’d swapped positions. Peter was the one with his head rested on Harley and it was Harley’s hands that were making their way through his hair in a comforting fashion.

“Y’know” Harley continued, “I’d choose this moment to tell you that I’m head over heels ridiculously in fucking love with you, but I’ve been that way for a while now, you’re one hell of a human being Peter Parker. I can’t even quantify the amount of kindness there is running through your veins. You put the rest of us to god damn shame.”

“I’m sorry” Peter sniffled, wiping some tears away from his cheeks with his sleeve, “I was meant to come over here to make you feel better and it’s you that’s ended up looking after me.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for” Harley insisted, “You saved my life, you put your own life on the line every day for the sake of other people, you sing like a god damn angel. Just being around you was enough to make me feel better.”

“Ben always said I had a nice voice” Peter sighed, “He wanted me to join choir or Glee club or something but I never wanted to.”

“He was right” Harley said with a light chuckle, “I’m sorry if I feel like…I dunno, I forced you into confessing all this heavy stuff to me. It wasn’t my intention, but you kinda seemed like you wanted to get it off your chest.”

“Yeah, I did” Peter replied with his first smile in about fifteen minutes, “And I knew I could trust you, you go on about me, but I dunno many people nicer than you, Harley Stark.”

“I do!” Harry Osborne announced as he sauntered back into the living room with a giggling Morgan attached to his back like some kind of koala bear, “Just kidding, Harley’s the best. Ain’t he Morgs?”

“The best ever!” Morgan concurred as Harry gently lowered her to the ground, “Harley, I want to go and feed the ducks but Harry says I gotta ask you if we can go first.”

“Who’s we?” Harley asked suspiciously. Harry raised his hand.

“I wanna feed the ducks too” he said, causing Peter to smirk

“And why aren’t we asking Mom and Dad?” Harley asked Morgan, who swayed innocently yet knowingly in front of her big brother and flashed her cheekiest smile.

“Cos I know they’ll say no” she confessed quietly. Harley giggled and tussled her hair.

“I’ve taught you well kiddo” he said fondly, “Have you corrupted Happy into agreeing to take you out behind the parentals backs?”

“Of course, all bases covered” Harry said enthusiastically, “I just felt like we had to clear it with the person who really wears the trousers in this place.”

“I give you permission” Peter said quickly causing Harley, Morgan and Harry to laugh out loud. Harley nudged him with affection.

“This kid’s good for you, Stark” Harry said sweetly as Morgan ran back into his arms and he lifted her up so she rested her head on his chest, “Don’t fudge this up or I’ll fudge you up, ya hear?”

“Loud and clear” Harley said with a smile, “And don’t worry. I won’t.”

Once they were gone, Harley and Peter rearranged themselves so Harley was laying on top of Peter and their lips found one another for the first time in a week. It was like magic, like a whole barrage of fireworks exploding at the same time, as Harley’s hands traced over Peter’s torso they rolled over and switched positions. Peter briefly came up for air. He looked panicked, briefly searching around in his pockets before breathing a slight sigh of relief when whatever he’d been looking for turned up on the floor.

Harley reached over and was shocked, though not saddened, to see that the item Peter had seemed so panicked about losing was one singular condom. Peter blushed furiously the second that he registered what Harley had seen.

A playful grin appeared on the Stark boys face.

“My, my, Peter Parker” he said teasingly, “Did you come over here to have your wicked way with me?”

Peter’s blushing face was so red that he may as well have been wearing his Spider-Man mask. Harley quickly put a very dirty idea out of his mind.

Just like the wind, however, Peter’s demeanor changed in an instant and he was giving Harley as good as he was giving in the playfully flirtatious face game. He rolled over so he was back on top of Harley and planted another kiss on him.

“Maybe” he whispered, “If you’re ready, I’m ready. I think the past week has taught us both that we may as well live for the moment. You never know what’s around the corner.”

“Peter Parker” Harley breathed with a daunting sense of affection, “Whoever it was that told me you were the most precious, innocent teenager in the world had no fucking clue. Damn.”

“Common misconception” Peter replied wryly, “Everyone seems to like to assume that I’m all innocent and naïve, but appearances can be deceiving. I think it’s the puppy dog eyes.”

Peter’s eyes were anything but puppy dog like in that moment. They were full of hunger, lust. Feelings Harley was matching in equal measurement.

_Oh god, this is it? Isn’t it? We’re actually going to do this._

“Ready when you are”

*

“Fuck.”

“OK…that was. That was…wow”

“I’m speechless” Peter breathed. They were face to face in bed. It probably hadn’t taken all that long but to Peter it felt like the longest stretch of paradise in existence. Harley affectionately brushed one of Peter’s curls away from his face and kissed him on the nose.

“You’re so beautiful” Harley whispered, “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you.”

Peter shrugged with a smile.

“Normally I’d deflect a statement like that, but I’m too happy” he confessed, “I’ve always been a bit worried about what this would be like but that was…fuck, that was _perfect_. For me anyway, you’ve had this all before.”

“That was just as much a first for me as it was for you” Harley told him, “I’ve fooled around with girls plenty, sure, more than I should have at my age probably but…you’re the first, y’know, _boy _I’ve ever been this intimate with. And I’m so, so, so fucking grateful it was you.”

Peter smiled and kissed him before they tore themselves away from one another and got dressed. As much as they had got lost in one another’s worlds during the event, it was still mid-afternoon on a rainy Sunday and they were in a tower full of people who could’ve walked in on them at any minute. Or used a certain artificial intelligence system to check up on what they’d been up to at totally the wrong moment. Luckily, neither had happened. But Harry _had _text to say he and Morgan were on their way back with take out food and a very wet, grumpy Happy Hogan

(_Duck pond incident. Someone nearly lost their Princess Elsa hat in the water but good old heroic Uncle Happy saved the day.)_

“What you were saying, earlier…” Peter began again as he shamelessly watched Harley run around his room in his underwear, determined to colour co-ordinate his outfit, “I…y’know…me too..”

“Really?” Harley asked with a blush.

“Really” Peter confirmed with a nod.

“Wow. All this time, I thought it was just me” Harley sighed, “I mean, _Love Is An Open Door _is so obviously the best song on the Frozen soundtrack. Like, there’s not even a debate I-“

“_Harley_” Peter groaned, “I’m trying to say that I….y’know, you too”

“Good to know” Harley said with a smile, though it was countered with a little sadness. It wasn’t that Peter hadn’t told Harley that he didn’t love him back yet, he knew that wasn’t the case. Peter had said it without saying it. But Peter was the kindest and most loving person in the world and it made Harley feel sad that he’d clearly lost so many people he loved already that he clearly felt like saying the words out loud would somehow mean that he’d end up losing Harley as well.

That would never happen. Harley was sure he’d never leave Peter, they may have only been young, but he honestly couldn’t think of anyone he’d rather be with. But even so. Harley wasn’t going anywhere. If Peter wasn’t ready to say the words themselves out loud, he could wait. He would wait until the end of time for Peter.

He didn’t need the words; he had the feelings.

Harry and Morgan arrived back a short while later, armed with a gratuitous amount of McDonalds takeout food. Morgan skipped obliviously and handed Peter his food. Harry, however, read through Harley’s sheepish grin and Peter’s blushing face in an instant and rolled his eyes.

“Really, you two? Today?” he sighed, “It’s _god’s _day.”

“Haven’t you heard, Harry?” Harley said with a smile as he reached over and placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder, pulling him into a side hug, “Petey here is one hell of a sinner.”

“TMI” Harry said as Peter failed to contain his smirk, “Eat your chicken nuggets. Fast. The pair of you have some serious praying to do later.”

“Hear that, you gotta get on your kne-“

_“Child present!”_

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, bit of a situation with this chapter that has hopefully been resolved now. No social media in this chapter as I felt it would distract from the nature of what was going on and I really wanted to focus in on Peter/Harley without any distractions.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's baaaccckkk

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 14._

Vacation (All I Never Ever Wanted).

“What do you mean you’ve never been abroad?!” Harley asked agog

“Exactly that, you ditz” Peter replied with a laugh, “As in, I’ve never left the United States. Hell, I’ve never even left New York except for like…one trip to Washington with the Decathlon Team. It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s just…wow, I’ve never met anyone who’s never left America before” Harley replied, “I’m pretty sure I’ve spent more time out of the country than in it.”

“Well, you are addicted to hijacking planes” Peter smirked, “And that’s bullshit. Not everyone at Midtown is a trust fund kid, y’know, some of us are from pretty poor backgrounds. Ned and MJ have never been abroad either and I think Betty’s only been abroad cos she was once on a redirected flight that had to land in Canada but she never even left the airport.”

“Am I being a dick?” Harley asked with a sigh, “I didn’t mean it in a bad way, I guess it’s just-wow, I’m really up my own rich boy ass, huh?”

“You’re used to a certain style of living” Peter said reasonably. He sat up in bed and put an arm around Harley’s shoulder and pulled the boy into his chest, “It’s just what you’re used to. Took me years to realize that not everyone bought their shoes second hand or wore their Uncle’s old jerseys in the winter. When you never know any different…”

“Still” Harley pursed his lips, “I don’t wanna make you feel bad.”

“You didn’t” Peter said kindly, “You simply reacted to a fact. I’ve never been abroad. I’m probably not going to go abroad anytime soon either, it doesn’t bother me.”

“We could change that” Harley muttered.

Peter threw his head back and laughed.

“Yeah, I’m sure after that stunt you pulled a few months back your Mom and Dad are only going to be too happy to allow you to have plane privileges again” he chuckled, and Harley managed to crack a smile, “It doesn’t bother me, Harley. And you shouldn’t feel bad about it. It’s no more your fault you were born into money that is mine I wasn’t. You can’t fix everything. And I don’t want you to fix this either, really, I mean it. No secret plans to kidnap me and take me to fucking Bali or something.”

“I just….you deserve the fucking world” Harley sighed, looking up at Peter with an intense emotion locked in his eyes, “You at least deserve to see it. You put your life on the line every day to save it.”

“I wouldn’t call dressing up in homemade spandex to rescue kittens from trees constitutes me putting my life on the line but thank you.” Peter said with a smile, “You’re a sweetie.”

“I’m a spoiled brat”

“Those two things are not mutually exclusive.”

“Smartass”

“Well, I am an uneducated peasant who’s never left the country.”

*

“This is never going to work, you do realize that” Morgan said in her seven year old wisdom, folding her arms and looking up to give her brother a skeptical eye-brow raise as they headed down to breakfast the next morning in the elevator, “I’m pretty sure you’re grounded for, like, ever.”

“It’s worth a shot” Harley said with a shrug, “And it’s for Peter, so it’s worth it.”

“Is he your boyfriend yet?” Morgan asked.

Loaded question, Harley thought. He and Peter seemed to be boyfriends but unofficially. They made out, they spent pretty much all their free non-intern time together, fucked like there was no tomorrow on the weekends and Harley knew that Peter loved him and he loved him back but it wasn’t like they’d officially declared one another their boyfriend yet.

“He’s Peter” was all the reply that Harley could muster, it did seem to appease Morgan however who smiled at him and then skipped off to go and show her Auntie Nat the hair that Harley had just braided for her once the elevator doors opened. Harley took a deep breath as he approached his parents, both of whom were already eating breakfast, at the dining room table. They both shot him a strange look that seemed to suggest they already knew he was going to ask for something totally crazy that he undeserving of.

“Morning kiddo” Tony said casually, “Coffee?”

“Yeah, thanks” Harley said quietly as he sat down next to his mother, “You look nice today, Mom.”

“Thanks, and no, you can’t have a party for Harry’s birthday” she replied shortly, “At least not here. I think Rhodey and your father are still traumatized from last year. If Harry wants a party, he needs to ask his own father and have it in his own house.”

“That wasn’t what I was asking” Harley replied with a smile, trying desperately to shake the memories of green Nickelodeon goop falling all over his father and James Rhodes at Harry’s birthday the previous year and the ensuing chaos it caused, “Though, for the record, I think Harry and I have grown up a great deal since then and we’d be a lot more mature and responsible now. Plus now we know exactly how many alpaca’s the elevators can hold we’d at least avoid the weeks’ worth of structural repairs that were needed.”

“Those alpaca’s rank very highly on the list of stupid things you’ve done” Tony replied shortly as he sat a cup of coffee down in front of his son, “Very high. Total waste of time.”

“Oh really, is that why you named that one who ate Steve’s journal and visit him at the compound upstate every few weeks, is it?” Harley shot back.

“Me and Gerald are connected” Tony snapped, “I can’t explain it. So, what do you really want?”

“How do you know I even want something” Harley asked with a wry smile, “Maybe I was genuinely complimenting Mom on her hair!”

“You never compliment Pepper on her hair unless you want something” Tony shot back immediately, “It’s not like you’d ever have any other reason to.”

Harley’s mouth fell open as a look of horror dawned on Tony’s face as he realized what he’d said.

“Maybe my hair just looks nice?” Pepper asked tensely, eyeing Tony like pray.

“Of course” he squeaked, “You know what I meant.”

“Your delivery could have been better thought out” she replied tensely as Harley accidentally let out his inevitable smirk. Immediately, she turned her attention to him and his face fell in much the same way his father’s just had, “And you can shut it, and it’s still a no to whatever you’re asking me.”

“It’s not for me, it’s for Peter.” Harley argued. Both his parents had become unreasonably fond of Peter and revealing that what he wanted was for him was the last chance saloon.

“What for him?” Tony asked suspiciously, “You better not be leading that sweet and innocent boy astray, he’s like a puppy. I can’t even imagine him smoking!”

Harley smirked a little as a memory of Peter kissing his neck in the filthiest way from the night before flushed back into his head. Pepper gave him a look that at least seemed to suggest that she was aware Peter wasn’t the perfect, innocent little puppy dog that Tony had convinced himself he was.

“It’s a nice thing, I swear” Harley boasted, “You’ll be proud of me, I’m doing something for someone else that has absolutely no personal gain for me….well, maybe a little, OK a lot but it does involve me doing something to make Peter happy and well….there’s not much I care about more than making Peter happy it’s literally up there with you two, Morgan, Harry, Uncle Rhodey, Auntie Nat and that stupid alpaca.”

“Bold statement” Tony said, sounding impressed.

“What is it, honey?” Pepper asked with a resigned sigh.

“Peter’s never been abroad, and I want to take him somewhere” Harley replied with a smile, “He’s never even been on a plane before! I kinda freaked out on him when I told him and he said not to but I really wanna take him _somewhere _and I figured…it’s stupid and I know I don’t deserve another chance but…I’d really like to take Peter somewhere for a few days…..sorry, stupid, sorry I asked-sorry.”

Harley’s face was beat red and he’d begun to stammer a little as he watched his parents shared eyebrows raise practically to the heavens in the middle of his plea. He stood up to go and leave but was immediately pulled back down into his seat by Pepper who kissed him on the head.

“What was that for?” Harley asked.

“Mother’s privilege when her son does something nice.” Pepper said simply, “I think it’s a wonderful idea and Peter’s clearly a good influence on you. I trust him. You can go, but there’s a few ground rules we need to go over that you _have _to stick to. No conditions, capisce?”

“Yeah” Harley breathed, “Yeah, course.”

“Number one, this is a whole family break” Pepper said firmly, “We all need a break. You and Peter can have your own rooms, a ton of privacy, but there’s no way I can justify letting you roam free in a foreign country by yourself months after we barely kept the FBI from hauling your ass in juvie.”

“Fair” Harley squeaked, “Sorry for all that, again, by the way.”

“Secondly, we’re going to a country that you find boring” Tony interjected, “I nominate Canada.”

“Fine” Harley replied through gritted teeth.

*

“I just don’t get why Hannah can’t just tell everyone she’s a pop star” MJ groaned as she and Peter watched Hannah Montana: The Movie from the comfort of Peter’s sofa that afternoon. She was resting her head on Peter’s lap.

“Maybe she’d feel like her life would just be harder if everyone knew who she really was” Peter reasoned, “Maybe she’d be worried that she’d attract the wrong kinds of people if she did reveal who she really was. Fake friends and stuff like that.”

“Well, Hannah should know the difference between her real friends and fake people who are only interested in her because she’s a celebrity” MJ snapped back, “I’d say that the difference would be pretty obvious and she’s an idiot if she thinks otherwise.”

“Why did you even wanna watch this movie if you’re just gonna complain all the way through it?” Peter asked, “We’ve not even got to Hoedown Throwdown yet.”

“No reason” MJ said with a shrug and a playful smile.

Peter sighed and re-focused his attention on the movie which they managed to watch the next twenty minutes of without MJ complaining or posing strangely timed philosophical questions about Hannah’s secret identity until they were interrupted by the sound of Peter’s front door slamming shut. Peter shot up, hoping it was just May and not a vicious intruder.

Harley Stark came into view a few seconds later, his beautiful smile taking up near enough all of his incredibly pretty face and Peter felt his heart flutter at the sight. MJ rolled her eyes and lifted her head off of Peter’s lap as he stood up and moved towards Harley and kissed him.#

“How did you get in?” MJ asked, “That doors double locked.”

“Please, I’ve been tricking locks since before I could walk” Harley replied with a laugh, “And I know I should’ve called but my minds been racing a million miles an hour since this morning. Pete, I have the best news ever.”

“Ooh, that does sound exciting” Peter beamed, “What is it?”

“We’re going to Canada for six days!” Harley announced. Peter’s face immediately fell.

“Why? As in, you need to go into hiding?” he asked, “How many federal crimes have you and Harry committed this time? And why are you dragging me into this?”

“I’m not on the run, you ditz” Harley said with a laugh, “I meant a vacation. You, me and…well, the rest of my family plus Auntie Nat who managed to wangle an invite somehow. Spy powers, I guess. We’re flying out on Thursday, ain’t that exciting?!”

If Harley had expected Peter to immediately fall at his feet and thank him for his charity, he was sadly mistaken. No. The shorter boy was not happy or moved, he felt ignored and angry. His facial expression clearly let Harley know of this before his mouth could judging by how his face fell seconds later.

“You don’t like it?” he asked quietly. MJ cringed.

“No, I don’t” Peter said coldly, “Remember when I specifically told you _this fucking morning _that I didn’t want you buying me shit like this? You don’t own me, Harley.”

“I know I don’t” Harley repeated sadly. MJ almost felt sorry for him, “I just….I wanted to do something nice for you, Pete. That’s all. It’s not about owning you.”

“Well, that’s what it feels like” Peter snapped, “You might be used to snapping your fingers and getting whatever you want but it ain’t gonna work with me. I’m not for sale and I’m not some shiny poverty-stricken doll you can play with to ease your conscience.”

“Is that really what you think of me?” Harley choked. Peter hesitated for a second.

“No” he replied tensely, “But that’s what it feels like, sometimes. You just charge ahead at a million miles an hour, doing what you want, not caring about what everyone else wants. I get that you’re trying to do something nice for me here, Harls, but I don’t want it.”

“Why not?” asked Harley, “I’m just doing something nice, not because I think you’re some kind of prize I can buy, but because I care about you. I love you. You’re my _boyfriend, _this is the kind of things we should be doing for one another.”

“Is it? Look around you” Peter shouted, “Look at this apartment. The damp on the wall, the cracks in the ceiling, the windows we’ve taped together because we couldn’t afford for someone to come and fix them. I am not in the position to spring surprise vacations on you.”

“I don’t expect you to!” Harley cried, “It’s like I said the other day, you deserve the world and I have the power to actually give you it. What’s wrong with me wanting to?”

“The fact you even have to ask” Peter muttered, “Get this into your head; I am not coming to Canada with you. I barely want to be in the same room as you right now.”

“You’re blowing this so far out of proportion” Harley choked, “I just…I just want the best for you. That’s all I wanted. All this time, you’ve been telling me that I’m a nice person and here I am trying to prove it and you shove it back in my face!”

“Harley, think for a second” Peter shouted back, “D’you have any idea what the likes of Flash Thompson and everyone else in this world is gonna say when they found out _you’re _with _me_? They’re gonna say I’m some gold digging, fake asshole who’s just dating the rich kid for his own gain. Finding out that you’ve been paying for me to come on vacation with you and your family-“

“We’re flying on the private jet; it’s not cost any money!”

“Dude” MJ sighed, shaking her head, “No.”

Peter rolled his eyes.

“I don’t want anyone saying those kinda things about me” Peter said, “I’m not a gold digger, I don’t only like you for your money but more to the point, I won’t be treated as a charity case. Me never being abroad might keep you awake at night, but it doesn’t bother me much. I can live with it.”

“I’m sorry” Harley squeaked, “Clearly I’ve overstepped some-“

“If our relationship is going to be based on you ignoring what I want, then I have to wonder if it’s really worth it.” Peter concluded

Harley nodded and without a word left the apartment. MJ sighed and turned to face Peter, who held in a sob before shaking his head and taking himself off into his bedroom.

*

“Harley! Wait…”

“I should go.”

“Wait. Just listen to me…”

“MJ, it’s fine, I was wrong” Harley snapped, turning to face MJ just as they reached the street below, “I knew it was only a matter of time until I fucked everything up. Even I didn’t think I’d manage longer than a friggin’ week.”

MJ’s heart ached as she got a good look at Harley. His face was red and blotchy, he was holding back tears and just looked utterly defeated. It was at that moment that it suddenly dawned on her that Peter wasn’t some casual fling as far as Harley was concerned, and that was what she had been assuming even if she’d never have said it out loud to Peter, this was real. Harley Stark cared about Peter. Harley Stark loved her best friend, and that entitled him to some mercy at the very least.

“It’s not over between you” she said softly, “Peter’s just-he’s very proud. He’s always been the poorest kid at school and he’s really insecure about it. Hates charity. One time he refused to come to my birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese because May couldn’t afford it and he refused to allow my parents to pay for his food. It was noble, but it kinda sucked. I had a lonely birthday that year, he was my only friend at the time. Hell. I think he’s still my only real friend now.”

Harley laughed a little sadly.

“He seems really mad at me.” Harley muttered.

“You just hurt him in a sensitive place” MJ said with a shrug, “Believe me, me and Ned have had the same fight with him hundreds of times. He always comes around in the end….mostly.”

“So, what should I do?” Harley asked.

“It sucks but you just need to wait.” MJ said with a smile, “I’ll talk to him. He listens to me, even if it is mostly because he’s too scared not to. I think it’s important he goes to Canada with you.”

“Why?” asked Harley shyly

“Because you make him happy, dipshit” MJ replied, “For real he’s been happier since he got close to you than he has been in years. Like, since before Ben died. I can’t believe I’m saying this but you’re good for him, and I get the impression he’s good for you. He’s good for everyone. He’s my best friend and you’ve made him happy so I’ll be damned if I sit back and watch that get thrown away. You deserve better.”

“You think I deserve better?” Harley asked skeptically

MJ rolled her eyes and looked a tad uncomfortable.

“Yes, you’re a good person, and I wanna help you just as much as I wanna help Peter” she said with a shrug, “And hey, maybe you can become like….my fourth friend or something?”

Harley smiled.

“I thought you didn’t like me” he said simply

“Oh Harley” MJ said fondly, stroking his cheek, “Just because I don’t like you doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. Leave Peter to me. You just get home and pack. You’ve got a vacation to go on.”

Harley smiled, they shared a brief and slightly awkward hug before heading their separate ways.

*

Peter was quiet and kept himself in his room, focusing on making some dumb Star Trek model that MJ had no interest in assisting him with, for the rest of the afternoon. Determined not to give up, MJ made herself at home on the Parker’s couch and flicked through a few of May’s stray magazines before the woman herself arrived home from work. Luckily, MJ had been such a consistent presence in the apartment over the years that May did not bat an eye at the girl being spread out across her furniture with no sign of Peter around her when she got it.

“Peter in a mood?” May asked as she placed some grocery bags down on the kitchen side. Helpful as always, MJ got up and started to help her put the items away.

“Fight with Harley” MJ said casually, “Harley wanted Peter to go to Canada with him and his family for a few days, Peter took it as Harley seeing him as a charity case and did his usual blow up. Harley left in tears and Peter has been hyper focusing on nerdy Star Trek toys all afternoon.”

May laughed and planted a kiss on MJ’s head.

“I can always rely on my favourite girl to tell me the truth straight out” she said fondly, “Peter’s got to get over this pride thing. Free vacay to Canada with his handsome boyfriend and he’s turning it down? _Idiota_. I raised him better than that.”

MJ grinned as this prompted a disheveled and grumpy looking Peter to emerge from his bedroom with his arms folded and his hair a mess.

“Oh, gracing us with you presence now are you?” May asked, “Would’ve been nice if you ran to the door, kissed me on the cheek and took the grocery bags out of my hand like you normally do. Poor MJ was sitting here all on her own.”

“She likes being on her own” Peter replied testily, “And I figured if you’re going to insult me in Italian, you may as well do it to my face.”

“OK” May replied with a shrug, “_Ti amo_, you’re foolish and headstrong just like your Dad and your Uncle, but I love you all the same. Walk me through it.”

“Sounds like MJ’s already given you the benefit of her extremely biased perspective” Peter huffed as he made his way over, kissed his aunt on the cheek and assisted in unloading the groceries. “I stand by my point of view. You should be proud of me.”

“Oh, should I?” May asked

“Yeah, I was showing pride in myself” Peter replied, “Refusing to be bought. I’ve kept my self-respect, and Uncle Ben’s and my Dad’s self-respect as well. Parker’s don’t need charity.”

“Peter, baby, you don’t need to think like that anymore” May said softly, kissing Peter on the top of his head and pulling him into a fierce hug, “Your Uncle Ben was a very proud man. And there’s nothing wrong in being proud, but sometimes, it’s nice to accept that some people just want to do nice things for us. It doesn’t mean you’re betraying their memory. You could never do that. You’ve got the best of your mother, your father and your uncle running through you.”

“Thanks, but it wasn’t so much the charity, it’s just that Harley didn’t listen to me” Peter muttered from the comfort of the hug, “I said to him that I didn’t want him to do anything crazy and spontaneous and tried to fix the fact I’ve never left America and he just ignored me and did want he wanted anyway.”

“Well, I understand that, honey” May replied sympathetically, “Relationships can be hard work, especially communication in relationships. Believe me. I could tell your uncle not to do something a million and one times and it was like he was ignoring me on purpose. You just gotta work on that stuff and figure out a way passed it.”

“Harley really cares about you, nerd” MJ piped up, “He looked really upset after you stormed off. I think he was just trying to do something nice for you, cos he wants you to be happy.”

“I know” Peter breathed uneasily, “I should say sorry, shouldn’t I?”

“Yes, but also make sure he knows from now on you want him to run things past you” May told him, “And I think you should go to Canada. You deserve a vacation, if nothing else.”

“Harley probably hates me now” Peter muttered

“Oh my god” exclaimed MJ, “To think I was excited about you two dating for a hot minute. You’re as bad as one another, I am not spending the rest of my life having to listen to the both of you being convinced the other one hates you every time you bicker about something. Harley loves you; he wants to take you to Canada and have a romance with you doing…whatever they do in Canada…watching violent ice hockey, I dunno? Maybe you can chase moose together.”

Peter laughed.

“I guess he only did what he did to try and make me happy” he said quietly

“Yes, he did, because he’s actually a pretty decent guy underneath all that privilege” MJ said with a smile.

“In case you need it, I absolutely give you permission to go to Canada with Harley’s family” May said, equaling MJ’s smile and stroking Peter’s hair, “Maybe don’t chase moose, definitely go and watch some violent ice hockey though. Pick you old aunt up some nice maple apples or whatever. Mostly just go, have a good time and enjoy Harley’s company.”

“Thanks” Peter replied, kissing her on the cheek, “And you don’t think….I’m, y’know, selling myself out or anything like that?”

“No, honey, Harley doesn’t see you that way” May said with a smile, “He’s not doing this to show off or to save you, he’s doing it cos he cares and he wants to spend time with you. Also, I know you won’t want to hear this, but please be safe-“

“May!”

“I’m not an idiot, Pete” May said as she rolled her eyes. MJ laughed. “I have no issue with you and Harley being sexually active, just be sensible about it.”

“What? Like lock the doors?”

“Ha ha” May replied sarcastically, “Now, go and tell Harley you’re going.”

“Might take me a while to get all the way to Manhattan at this time” Peter said cautiously.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll find a way of getting their quickly” MJ said, giving Peter a knowing look.

*

Normally when he was upset, Harley would either drown his sorrows at a party and make out with whoever would have him, but he couldn’t even find it in him to hit the self-destruct button after his fuck up with Peter so had just spent the entire afternoon feeling sorry for himself in his room, reading negative comments about himself online. This seemed to disturb his family who made any and every excuse to check on him every half an hour, weirded out by his out of character behaviour.

It was only when a tap on his window brought him out of a self-hatred shame spiral at around nine that Harley finally felt his mood lift. He looked up and blinked back tears as he saw Spider-Man tapping patiently on his bedroom window. Smiling, Harley made his way over and allowed Peter Parker to climb and in and remove his mask. Harley tried to ignore how sexy he found Peter’s wind-swept hair and gulped.

“I’m sorry!” they both ended up exclaiming at the same time before laughing.

“You go first!” Harley insisted, “I’m interested to see what you feel the need to apologize for considering I’m the one who fucked everything up!”

“Really?” Peter asked, “I was a total asshole towards you. All you were trying do was be nice, cos you’re always nice, and I just threw it back in your face and accused you of trying to buy me. You did nothing wrong.”

“No, no, no” Harley cried, “You were right. I don’t listen to what people want, I just go and do whatever I want and I never think about the other people. I just got obsessed with making things better for you that I never considered you might not have wanted to spend an entire damn week with me. No one else ever would, so I don’t know why I thought you’d be any different. Kidding myself because I like you so much probably.”

Peter stiffened up and took a step closer to Harley, taking his hand.

“Can you please stop thinking the worst of yourself for one fucking minute” he pleaded, “Harley, you are wonderful. You’re incredible. You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met, you’ve proven that more than enough times, and everyone loves you-“

“That’s not true” Harley insisted, “You ever read Twitter? I’m a selfish, privileged asshole who never thinks of anyone but himself. They been saying that ‘bout me my whole life, there’s gotta be a reason.”

“Because they don’t fucking know you” Peter said angrily, “They don’t see what I see. What your friends see, what your family see. That you have a heart bigger than this whole damn city. And I’m the asshole for throwing your nice gesture back in your face.”

“I didn’t listen to you, though” Harley whimpered.

“No, you didn’t” Peter admitted, “But we can work on that. I’ve got no intention of falling at the first hurdle when it comes to you, I-I….fuck, I _love _you too much.”

Harley laughed through the tears that had started to fall from his eyes. Peter affectionately wiped a few of them away with his Spider-Man sleeve.

“You’ve never actually said the word before” Harley choked.

Peter smiled.

“Well, you never said boyfriend before this afternoon, so I figured I should step up” Peter replied.

“Fuck, I really wish the first I’d said that hadn’t been during a fight” Harley moaned, “I never want to fight with you ever again, this has been the worst day of my life.”

“You’re so dramatic” Peter laughed fondly, “Not my best day either. And yes, I’d love to come and spend six days with you in Canada. We can watch ice hockey and go on walks and fuck like there’s no tomorrow in our hotel room.”

“We actually both have our own with an adjoining door” Harley admitted, “My parents are liberal but they’re not that fucking liberal. My dad is definitely going to bug it to alert him whenever one of us try and open it.”

Peter grinned and pulled Harley impossibly close to one him. Harley’s heart rate increased dramatically as he struggled to contain himself around his boyfriend, as per usual. Peter softly kissed him.

“That makes it all the more fun, no?” he whispered in to Harley’s ear and felt himself go weak at the knees at how low Peter’s voice had gone.

“Fuck you” Harley whispered back, “Don’t come on to me whilst dressed in your Spidey suit, you have no idea what this is doing to me.”

Peter just grinned and laughed. They began kissing and soon fell on to the bed. Just as things were getting a bit hot and heavy, FRIDAY’s voice interrupted them,

“Young Boss, just to let you know, Mr. Stark is currently in the elevator armed with tomato soup and a glass of water for you” the A.I.’s dulcet tones rang out.

Harley shot up, panicked.

“What’s wrong?” Peter asked with a smile.

“I’m just trying to assess wherever it’s best for my Dad to walk in on me and you making it out with you in your suit, or with you in your boxers?” Harley replied with a smile, “It’s hot that you don’t wear anything else underneath it but it’s not very practical at times like this, is it?”

Peter’s eyes widened as the possible consequences of Tony walking in on them at this exact moment in time would be.

“Underwear” he breathed, “Definitely underwear. You know, though, just for future reference you really don’t have to put quite so much effort into coming up with ways to get me to take my clothes off. I’m not easy, but I’m also not made of stone.”

“Just get the suit off, he’s nearly here” Harley cried, “And put on one of my hoodies. My Dad thinks you’re some shy, retiring innocent puppy dog and it’s actually playing to our advantage to have him old on to that belief for as long as possible. Borrow a hoodie. He’ll think it’s cute.”

Peter rolled his eyes, took his suit off (Harley looked. Because he could now) and hid it under Harley’s bed before draping one of Harley’s midtown hoodies over his head and picking up a pair of loose sweat pants. They were both way too big for him, but he looked adorable and Harley made a mental note that this needed to happen more often.

“Not a fucking word, Stark” Peter said with a laugh pursed on his lips, having seemingly cottoned on to the situation.

“Hard to take you seriously when the sleeve is longer than your arm” Harley replied as Tony walked in and smiled at the sight of Peter.

“How did you get up here without me knowing?” he asked suspiciously as he set the tomato soup down on Harley’s bedside table. Peter and Harley looked to one another.

“They hacked my systems, boss” FRIDAY supplied helpfully, “Peter now has full access to any area of the tower at Harley’s command. Very sorry.”

Tony shrugged.

“Saved me a job, I was gonna give you clearance anyway” he said, “Nice to see you anyway, Pete, you come to pull boy wonder here out of his shame spiral?”

“Oh, you bet Mr. Stark” Peter said with a wink and a knowing smirk that seemingly managed to convey both total innocence and purity to Tony whilst also letting Harley know exactly what would be happening between them once Tony finally left the room. It made the Stark boy feel hot under the collar, Peter was like magic when he was in this mood.

“Looking forward to Canada?” Tony asked, Harley was by this point sure his father was elongating his stay in the bedroom just to annoy him.

“Yeah, I can’t wait” Peter replied with a smile, “I’ve never been abroad or even on a plane before so it’s really exciting.”

“Well, Pep and I are honored to be around for this particular milestone” Tony assured him, “And don’t worry, you and Harley will have as much privacy as you want.”

“More than you’re giving us now” Harley said testily, gesturing at the door for Tony to leave. With a wry smile, Tony complied, patting Peter on the back and slowly leaving the room. Harley groaned as Tony closed the door behind him and once they were sure he was out of ear shot; they were back to business.

“Fuck, I thought he’d never leave” Harley moaned as he lifted his hoodie over Peter’s head and felt the smaller boy push him on to his bed and kiss his neck.

“FRIDAY seems to have our back, at least” Peter observed.

“Yeah, she’s a bro” Harley replied breathlessly, “Fuck, I’m so excited for Canada. I love you.”

“I love you too” Peter replied as he slipped Harley’s t-shirt off, “Boyfriend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've changed what I want to do with this story a little bit. I was going to have this story where Phil came back and caused a lot of trouble for Peter but the more I tried to write that version of this story, the less sense it made and the less it seemed to fit these characters anymore. Peter and Harley have ended up evolving into completely different characters than how I originally intended them and they no longer really fit what I was originally going to do with this story.
> 
> I've also just realized that most of you seem to just like reading about these boys falling in love and that's the part I enjoy writing the most. This story will be carrying on, but it will be a lot more episodic and one-shot like rather than having this big overarching story I planned for it. There's still an ongoing narrative and there are still elements of the Phil story that I plan on incoporating in but chapters like this are probably going to be the norm from now on.
> 
> Simply put, I just enjoy writing it this way more than the other and I need to enjoy what I'm writing or it just starts to feel like a chore and then I don't want to do it anymore and it was getting to that point with Off The Rails. All the social media, knowing I had this big Phil story hanging over me that I didn't want to tell and didn't seem to fit anymore, I was very close to just letting the whole project go but the love between Peter and Harley just wouldn't let me.
> 
> Hope you can all/appreciate understand that and let me know what you thought of this chapter below.
> 
> (Also lowkey this decision will mean quicker updates so....)
> 
> Thanks, as always,  
Jamie 
> 
> xxxx


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter heads to Canada with the Starks!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left feedback on the last chapter. I'm so happy people are onboard for the change in direction and tone Off The Rails is taking. If it feels right I might add some social media stuff to later chapters, but no promises at the moment.
> 
> And, as I did promise more frequent updates, here's part one of the trip to Canada!

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 15._

Oh Canada (Part I)

The night before the trip began, May invited Harley around to have dinner with her and Peter. It was the first time he would be having dinner with her as Peter’s boyfriend and he’d be lying if he said the idea didn’t intimidate him a little. May was a fierce, scary woman when she wanted to be. Harley had witnessed it first hand the previous week when Phil Westcott briefly stopped by to let her know that he was going to be moving to San Francisco and wanted to know if she’d ever consider giving him another chance. May had reacted to this news by pouring wine all down his shirt, pushing him out of the apartment door and then sitting back down as if nothing had happened. Peter and Harley sat and watched the whole event, mouths gaping on, from the comfort of the sofa.

Phil being on the other side of the country seemed to lift the final weight from Peter’s shoulders and he was a lot more like how Harley imagined he would’ve been without the years of trauma getting in the way. That wasn’t to say that everything was easy going for Peter. Far from it. Two nights before the dinner with May, it had taken the combined forces of Harley, MJ and May almost an hour to talk him down from a panic attack when he realized that this would be the longest amount of time he’d ever spent away from May since his parents died and it completely freaked him out. He came around in the end and Harley was more than willing to cancel the whole trip all together but May and Peter persuaded him not to, and Peter spent the next several hours apologising profusely.

Harley didn’t care. He was fairly sure he’d have done absolutely anything to make Peter feel safe and happy by that point.

And if that meant he was flying coach with Peter on a passenger jet, then so be it. Peter had come around to the idea of Canada and was looking forward to it now however he was still very proud and admitted he didn’t like the idea of travelling in a private jet. To compromise, the Starks and Parkers had decided that Harley and Peter would travel up together on a passenger plane whilst Tony, Pepper and Morgan would take Tony’s private jet. Peter wanted this as him buying his own plane tickets there and back was very important to him, and Harley didn’t mind because at the end of the day all it meant was he got to spend more time on his own with Peter.

That morning they’d hit the shops and stocked up on dual headphone adapters, snacks and travel pillows for the flight. Harley did wonder if Peter even really registered the flight to Canada would only take them a few hours at most but he wasn’t about to dampen his boyfriends enthusiasm. Peter was excited and his excitement was contagious.

“Thank you for offering to drive us to the airport tomorrow, Mrs. Parker” Harley said politely as the three of them sat down and dug in to May’s homemade meat loaf. It didn’t taste very good but Harley had suffered through an entire childhood of being forced to eat food he found disgusting from various fancy restaurants so had developed an almost perfect poker face when it came to masking the fact he did not enjoy the food that was in front of him. Peter was less refined, Harley grinned to himself as Peter stuck his tongue out at the taste of the food.

May had suggested that Harley come over to stay the night before their flight and let her drop them off at the airport the next morning, she told Peter it was just for convenience sake as they lived a lot closer to JFK than Harley did at the tower, but the Stark boy knew it was all to make the departure as easy as it possibly could be for Peter.

Harley was also very much looking forward to cozying up with Peter in his single bed.

“Not a problem, honey” May replied with a smile, “How’s the meat loaf.”

“Phenomenal. Can you give me the recipe? My mom would love this” Harley answered with a genuine smile, make me eat salmon on my seventh birthday will you mother.

“Finally, someone who appreciates my cooking!” May said brightly. Peter rolled his eyes.

“I do appreciate your cooking” he answered, “It’s just sometimes you have a tendency to….over cook certain miles and the…err…flavor gets sacrificed. But you’re not a bad cook, per say…”

“You are the worst liar in the world” May said to him with a laugh. Harley smiled. “Can you boys believe it’s fall already? Where is this year going? Honestly, sometimes it feels like we’ve all missed about five years of our lives and skipped ahead to the future, doesn’t it?”

“Have you been drinking that herbal tea from the woman who lives downstairs again?” Peter asked with a grin, “God knows what she laces that stuff with.”

“Mrs. Glick is a very spiritual woman, and her herbal remedies work wonders on me that no doctor can” May replied, “You should really try them, Harley. Rich people are always into more holistic methods don’t they?”

“We, err….one time I broke my elbow and my Dad tried to fix it and ended up breaking my wrist” Harley answered as Peter fell about laughing, “Safe to say after that, my mom made us stick to more traditional methods of medical care. But I’m sure Mrs. Glick’s herbal tea is lovely. Why did you take it?”

“Headaches” May said with a shrug, “I get them sometimes.”

“By which she means she gets chronic migraines at least once a week” Peter corrected her.

“Oh, I’m sorry” Harley replied feeling a little uneasy, “That must suck. Did you have one today?”

“I got a little dizzy, that’s all” May replied, “But I’m fine and it’s totally not something a certain someone needs to ruin their trip to Canada worrying about.”

“Can’t help it” Peter murmured, as he played with his food. Harley wrapped his foot around Peter’s ankle and squeezed his hand. As their relationship was evolving, he was finding new ways to help Peter through his anxiety every day and offering some form of physical reassurance that everything was alright before he the panic could really settle in was proving to be the most effective method. He just needed to get a little better at reading the warning signs, though he knew that whenever Peter became withdrawn and a little quiet it meant his mind was starting to go into overdrive.

Peter squeezed his hand back and smiled. May shot Harley a wink.

“Hey Pete, can you go and get desert out?” May asked her nephew, “It’s a homemade chocolate souffle and there’s some vanilla ice cream in the freezer.”

Peter nodded and kissed Harley on the cheek as he left. Harley faced May straight on and felt as if he’d just walked into the lion’s den.

“This the part where you tell me you’ll tear me a new one if I ever hurt Peter?” he asked nervously

“That goes without saying, honey” May replied sweetly, “No. What I actually wanted to do was say thank you.”

“What for?” Harley asked

“Err, there’s a lot, so let’s just say thank you for coming into Peter’s life” May said with a smile, “He’s really struggled to make connections with people since his Uncle died. We’ve had a rough few years, but since he met you….god, it’s like he’s back to his old self. And Phil leaving as well, the bastard.”

“It’s nothing” Harley muttered, shrugging as his fingers tapped nervously on the table cloth and eyes averted away from May’s gaze. “I just…I dunno, I really care about him. And stuff.”

“I can tell” May replied, still smiling, “He opens up around you. Talks about how he’s feeling, what’s going on that big old brain of his. You make him feel safe. And that’s what he needs.”

Harley nodded, not really sure how to reply.

“He’s helped me a lot too” he said, “Made me a better person.”

“I always thought there was a nice boy inside of you just waiting to pop out” May replied, “All those years, whenever I saw you in a magazine or on television, I could tell there was something about you that was so….I dunno, nice. You’re a very good person, Harley, certainly better than you think you are. I couldn’t be happier that Peter chose you.”

“Thanks” Harley choked as Peter reappeared from the kitchen with desert and sat himself back down next to Harley.

“You haven’t been too hard on him, I hope” Peter asked May

“Oh, I’ve been a completely malevolent ass hole, haven’t I Harley?” May smirked.

“She threatened to cut off my anatomy” Harley said with a smile. Peter cringed.

They finished their meal and settled down to watch a movie. Peter slumped against Harley’s shoulder and Harley put an arm around Peter and tucked him in close, all the while knowing that May was watching them and smiling to herself. When the movie was about halfway over and it was clear Peter was almost asleep, she stood up and kissed them both on the forehead before heading to bed herself. Harley smiled. He couldn’t remember many nights where he’d felt as safe and valued as he did on this one.

The boys headed to bed a short while later. They were a bit cramped together in Peter’s single bed but there had been no question about Harley sleeping on the couch, nor Peter giving up his bed.

“Harley” a sleepy Peter muttered around half an hour later, “You don’t think I’m…well, you don’t think I’m pathetic do you?”

“No, of course not” Harley replied with a frown, “Why would you ever think that?”

“Cos I need May so much” Peter said sadly, “Cos the thought of being away from her for a few days meant that I had a total-“

“You’re allowed to be anxious Pete, it’s part of life, that’s what you always say to me” Harley replied lovingly, squeezing Peter’s shoulder, “There’s nothing pathetic about being scared of leaving her. It’s a big thing, but I think the fact you’re doing it has made May really proud of you. You’re fine, you’re just fine.”

*

There were a few tears at the airport the next morning when May dropped them off. Harley did start to wonder to himself if he’d been downplaying just how bad Peter’s attachment to May was, he clung off her the entire time there and cried openly when it came time for them to head to their gate. Once May eventually left, fighting back tears of her own, Peter immediately latched on to Harley and refused to let go of his hand even when the security officers asked them to. Harley was keen on keeping as low of a profile as he could, not really wanting to be bothered in public when Peter was so anxious.

They managed to get through security without incident, the agents seemingly understanding why Harley had his hoodie pulled up so tight when they realized it was him, but Peter was still in a very shaky state and descended into another panic attack when Harley stepped away for a second to go and buy them a drink each from the coffee kiosk the gate. Harley almost dropped the coffees when he returned to find Peter rocking himself back and forth, sobbing hysterically on his own. A few people around him look concerned but hadn’t made any moves to intervene; Harley was half annoyed that they would just ignore a stranger in distress like that but also a little relieved as he knew Peter did not react well to strangers when he panicked.

“Hey, hey, it’s me, I’m back” Harley said softly, dropping to his knees so he was directly in front of Peter’s face and stroking his cheek affectionately, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have left you, it’s alright, just take a deep breath with me like we practiced with MJ. Deep breath.”

Peter’s hand found Harley’s and latched on to it. Harley smiled as his boyfriends breathing began to slow down a little and he started to cry. Not that Peter crying was a good thing, but it at least indicated he’d climbed out of whatever dark spiraling chasm his mind had sent him down. Harley pulled him forward into a hug and rubbed his knuckles softly up and down Peter’s back to sooth him, something May had helpfully informed him always helped ground Peter.

“I’m s-sorry I’m a-already r-ruining this” Peter cried, “I un-understand if-if you w-want m-m-me t-to g-go back ho-home with M-May. I-I’ll c-call her and ask me….I m-mean, ask h-her to c-come and g-get me.”

“Peter, I don’t wanna make you do anything you don’t wanna” Harley replied quietly, “If you really don’t wanna go on this trip, I ain’t gonna force you. Whatever you decide, though, I’m sticking with you. If you wanna call May and go home, I’ll do that. If you still wanna come to Canada, which I’d love for more than anything, then I’ll do that. It’s whatever makes you feel comfortable.”

“Canada” Peter whimpered, “I promised MJ a maple leaf hat.”

Harley chuckled.

“Well, we can’t go breaking our promises to MJ now can we?” Harley asked, “She’d condemn me to hell, and we don’t want that.”

“I’d be the one breaking the promise though” Peter replied, managing to crack a smile and it was the most beautiful thing Harley had ever seen.

“Yeah, but she likes you too much” Harley chuckled, “Believe me, I’d happily catch that grenade for you.”

“Fair enough” Peter said with a shrug, he lifted his head up and kissed Harley quickly, “But I promise I’ll be nicer about you catching grenades than Bruno Mars’s girlfriend was to him.”

“Well, of the two of us, you’re the one who can probably pull a piano across town” Harley reminded him and Peter laughed for the first time since his panic attack, “You back with me?”

“Yeah, I’m back” Peter sighed, “Fuck, sorry, I can’t believe I did that in public. I knew where you were, I could freakin’ see you paying for the coffee but you weren’t next to me and I just-“

“I understand, and it’s fine” Harley said with a smile, “It’s my fault. I knew you were shaky and you needed me around but I still had to go and get my coffee fix.”

“You should be able to leave me on my own though” Peter moaned.

“Pete, most of the time, you’re fine” Harley reminded him, “You’re alone in public all the time. Today’s just a special circumstance. There’s a lot of new stuff going on and it’s a lot to deal with. I happen to think you’re doing really well.”

“Seriously? I just snot cried in public”

“So” Harley shrugged, “Look around you, no one cares. No one even noticed. It was like it was just me and you in this crowded airport terminal.”

“You’ve spilled your coffee” Peter noted, gesturing to the spilled mocha on the floor behind them.

“That doesn’t matter” Harley said with a laugh, “I can always get another one on the plane. Making sure you’re alright is more important.”

“Go and get yourself another one” Peter said after taking a deep breath, “I’ll be fine. I’m better now, I’ll just keep watching you. Admiring your ass might actually prove useful for once.”

Harley chuckled.

“Panic attacks are fine but don’t objectify me in public, Parker” he joked, “Only kidding, check me out all you want. Just makes me more excited to get to that hotel room.”

“Do I get like a million points if I join the Mile-High club on my first flight?” Peter asked suggestively. Harley rolled his eyes.

“And he’s back, ladies and gents” Harley smirked before kissing Peter quickly once again and running back over to the coffee kiosk. As he stood in line, making sure to glance back at Peter every few seconds, an elderly woman tapped him on his shoulder.

“Hello, sorry to bother you” she said, “I just wanted to check whether your friend is alright. He seemed to be in a bad way before.”

“He’s fine now, thank you” Harley replied with a smile. The woman’s eyes lit up as she realized who he was. “Just his first time flying and he’s a little nervous.”

“I see” the woman replied, pursing her lips, “You were very good with him. I always knew you were a nice boy, no matter what the stupid news said.”

“Thanks” Harley replied, blushing a little, “What’s your name?”

“Barb” the woman replied.

“OK, thanks Barb” Harley said, “Could you do me one favor? Don’t go telling everyone I’m here. It won’t help my…err, friend if I suddenly end up getting lots of attention.”

“No problem” Barb said with a wink, “Have to say, he’s pretty gorgeous. You’re a lucky boy…and so is he, I’m sure.”

“How did you-?”

“Oh, just intuition” Barb replied with a knowing smile, “Hope the two of you have a lovely time, wherever you’re going. Tell your mother I said hello, and your father that he’s still in my Top 5.”

Harley nodded, cringing slightly. Just once he’d like to go out in public without an octogenarian hitting on his father.

*

The plane journey was short but sweet. Harley had expected Peter’s anxiety to flare up once again when the plane started to take off, but Peter had characteristically spent the past week heavily researching exactly how a plane functions and what’s meant to happen when it takes off in order to prevent such a thing from occurring. Though Harley guessed that Peter talking him through exactly what was happening and why was his own little way of combating what remaining flight related worries he had. Once they were air born, Peter simply rested his head on Harley’s shoulder and looked out of the window, failing to hide just how awestruck he was by how far up in the clouds they were. It was adorable.

By the time they landed and were greeted by Happy in the airport, Harley was feeling pretty tired and couldn’t wait to get settled into his hotel room. This time they switched positions and it was Harley with his head rested on Peter’s shoulders, being gently awoken by the boy when they arrived at the five-star hotel Tony had booked for them around an hour later.

Peter’s eyes were like saucers once again as they stepped inside. Harley had been to the hotel several times before and had sort of taken the place for granted, it was only Peter’s amazement at what he was seeing that reminded Harley of how nice it actually was.

“Boys, good flight?” Pepper asked, kissing them both on the forehead when they approached her, “I’d ask how your first time alone on a plane was Harley, but-“

“Very funny” Harley muttered, “And it was great. I loved flying coach. That woman in Bridesmaids was right, there’s much more of a sense of community. I made several new friends. A guy named Paul wants you to know if you’re ever running out of gas in Ontario, he’ll refill us free of charge at his garage.”

“Wonderful” Tony said brightly, “And Peter, how was it for you?”

“Mr. Stark it was the most amazing thing ever!” Peter exclaimed, “I’ve never been so high in my life, being above the clouds is so trippy and Canada looks so beautiful from above. And on the ground. It’s awesome, it was awesome, wasn’t it Harls?”

“Yeah” Harley replied with a smile, just happy that his usual enthusiastic and excitable Peter was back in full force, “It was awesome.”

“Glad to hear it, and thanks for not causing any international incidents this time” Pepper said as she put her arms around her son, he eased into the embrace, “Morgan’s out for the afternoon with Nat and your father and I do have some work we need to get done this afternoon, so make yourselves at home in your rooms and we’ll meet down here for dinner at six-“

“Working?! But you’re on vacation!” Peter exclaimed.

“Billion-dollar companies don’t just stop, Pete” Pepper said with a shrug, “Especially not when we’ve left that idiot Alderson in charge in our absence-“

“Alderson has worked for us for years, he’s the best-“

“Alderson got drunk and knocked a ten story Christmas tree over at the shareholders meeting last December, Tony”

“Nothing I’ve never done.”

“Yes, but I like you”

“Are they always like this?” Peter asked Harley quietly. The Stark heir smirked.

“Oh yeah, they’re really bad at being on vacation” Harley replied as the two turned and picked up their baggage and headed upstairs, “They’ve both got absolutely no idea how to relax. Luckily it doesn’t seem to have been a gene I’ve inherited. I am planning a serious nap this afternoon, if you care to join me.”

“Sounds good!” Peter said enthusiastically, his smile only growing wilder as he stepped into his hotel room and being blown away by the size of it, “Holy shit, this room is bigger than my whole apartment. Harley, have you seen this? There’s a chandelier. In my bedroom.”

“There sure is” Harley said happily as he sat down on Peter’s bed and watched the boy adorably bounce around the room and express his awe and surprise at every thing in it. The TV. The power shower. The balcony. Even the little duck shaped soaps in the bathroom didn’t go without an enthusiastic show of approval from Peter.

“This bed is so freakin’ bouncy” he said a few minutes later, taking his shoes off, “Take yours off and bounce with me, Harley. Holy crap.”

Harley just couldn’t wipe the smile from his face as he watched Peter backflip off the bed and pull him in for a passionate kiss.

“You like it then?” Harley asked, raising his eyebrows

“Like it? I love it!” Peter exclaimed, “This is the nicest place I’ve ever been. The flat screen TV is almost bigger than the weight of my sins. You’re here. It’s awesome, I’m so pleased you talked me down from that panic attack and we’re not back in Queens cos I’d have been feeling pretty miserable about it now.”

“Like I keep saying, whatever makes you happy” Harley said softly as he led Peter by the hand to the bed and sat down next to him, “Just enjoy this Peter. That’s literally the whole reason we’re here. So you can have a good time. Now, I’m gonna go and take a shower cos I smell like aeroplane food and I suggest you do the same. All that bouncing about was endearing but it’s probably not done wonders for your sweat glands.”

Peter smirked and kissed Harley.

“Meet in your room in like thirty minutes?” he asked.

“Make it fifteen” Harley said with a wink before kissing him and heading into his room through the adjoining door. He smiled as he rested his head against it, still able to hear Peter excitedly giggle as he started a Skype call with Ned. This was all he had wanted.

*

Dinner at the hotel was thankfully a less traumatic affair than the usual fancy restaurants Harley’s parents insisted on forcing him to. The food was nice, but simple, and Peter was in his element as he chowed down on a well-done steak. Tony and Happy both seemed very proud of him for it. Harley was keeping his dalliance with vegetarianism going mainly just to spite them both at this point, so he was pleased that Peter happily eating a large steak took away some of the mocking Harley had become subjected to since half heartedly announcing he was giving meat up for good a few weeks before.

Harley hadn’t meant it. Not really. It all evolved from a simple father and son disagreement about the best way to cook Burgers and escalated into Harley huffing and saying that if they were going to only cook meat in the way Tony liked, then he just wouldn’t eat meat anymore. Tony had bet him five hundred dollars he couldn’t stick to it for five months and Harley gladly accepted the challenge but between them he was sure Happy, Natasha and Tony were going to break him through their teasing. Peter had assured him he was OK to eat meat when they were alone together, he wouldn’t tell Tony. He wasn’t even sure if May’s meat loaf counted as eating meat anyway.

The only thing really ruining the meal for Harley was the fact that he and Peter had been getting a little hot and heavy before they left but had been interrupted by Natasha, who definitely knew what she’d been doing, though she had told them that Tony had bugged the adjoining door between their rooms so it was hard to stay mad at her. Not helping was the fact that Peter and Harley had ended up seated opposite from one another, because Morgan had insisted on sitting next to her new ‘best friend in the whole world’ Peter, which caused Harley’s boyfriend to play a serious game of footsie with him throughout the whole meal. And how he managed to eat fries suggestively was beyond Harley, but he welcomed it.

By the time desert was over and done with, Harley was sure he was bursting at the seams and lead Peter upstairs by the hand as quickly as he could.

“Fuck, I thought we’d never get away” Harley breathed as they closed his hotel room door behind them and Harley pushed Peter on to the bed and climbed over them. Peter giggled as Harley kissed his neck and started working his way down his torso but they were soon interrupted again by a knock at the door.

“Son of a-“ Harley shouted as he climbed off of a laughing Peter and opened the door to find Natasha and Happy on the other side, both barely containing smirks.

“Peter’s aunts on the hotel phone” Happy said with a smile, “She couldn’t get through on his cell so she just rang direct. Scary woman your aunt, kiddo.”

“You said it” Peter sighed as he got off the bed, “I’ll go and talk to her. She missed my call earlier, so she’s probably freaking it.”

“Good idea” Natasha said, “Oh, and then I’d get some shut eye if I were you. Big day tomorrow, we’re going on a hike. 6am sharp.”

“There’s no way either of my parents would be willing to do that” Harley pointed out.

“No, but Clint Barton would” Natasha replied, “He’s in the area with his family so we’re all meeting up, it’ll be fun, no?”

“No” Harley replied bluntly. There went his plans to spend his entire day in bed with Peter, only getting dressed for the sake of the room service delivery man’s dignity.

“Sounds good to me!” Peter said chirpily, kissing Harley on the cheek and discreetly slapping him on the ass as he walked by, “We’re on a family vacation, Harls. We need to do as the family say. I’ll go and take that phone call.”

“I’ll show you the way, kiddo” Happy said as he placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder as he left the room. If not for the mischievous wink Peter gave him as they were leaving, Harley would have felt seriously betrayed.

“Well, thanks for ruining the moment” Harley said, turning on Natasha, “I’m guessing one or both of those maniacs I lovingly call my parents put you up to this?”

“What? You don’t think I’d ruin you getting jiggy off of my own back?” Natasha asked with a smile, “Fine, yes they did, they won’t say it to your face but I think they’re a bit nervous that you’re already having sex with Peter. Well, Pepper is. I genuinely don’t think Tony has any clue to as to what’s going on, in his mind Peter’s practically a chaste monk.”

“So why did he tap the door?” Harley asked.

“I think he’s worried about you staying up all night and talking” Natasha said with a smirk.

“Oh dad” Harley sighed, “You sweet summer child.”

“Well, I’ve done my duty” Natasha concluded, kissing Harley on the forehead, “Sleep tight and get those walking boots ready. You know how you Dad gets when he actually starts enjoying the hike.”

“At least I have Peter with me this time” Harley sighed

“Yeah” Natasha said softly, “Yeah, you do. Sleep well kiddo. Love you.”

“You too Auntie Nat” Harley replied before sighing and resting his head on his pillow. He tucked one arm behind his head and stared up at the ceiling, still amused that his father had gone to such lengths to stop them from entering one another’s rooms at night for fear of them talking.

Around ten minutes later, Harley heard the sounds of Happy and Peter returning, and Happy pretty much guiding Peter back into his own hotel room. Classic ambush. Harley figured there was no way he was going to get any action now so quickly took his clothes off and climbed under his bed covers, ready to deal with his frustrations himself if he had to.

Fortunately, there was a knock at his window a few seconds later.

Harley beamed like an idiot as he spotted Peter, wearing a black hoodie and some very short grey gym shorts, precariously balancing himself from Harley’s room’s miniscule balcony. He quickly opened the window and allowed Peter in.

“Too easy” Peter said as Harley laughed and pulled him in for a kiss, “Oh, and this is quite the greeting isn’t it? You normally wear Pyjamas when you share with me.”

“Am I sharing with you tonight?” Harley asked.

“I just leaped across a seventh-floor balcony for you, of course we’re sharing your bed” Peter said as he rolled his eyes and lead Harley back to his bed, “Sorry about earlier, but I’m really big on keeping up this innocent act in front of your family. It’s so much fun.”

“You really do have everyone fooled” Harley said breathlessly as Peter took off his hoodie and lay down on the bed again.

“Even you?”

“You play the part too well at times” Harley replied, “Now, shut up. I’ve been waiting for this all day.”

“Fine” Peter sighed, “But just one more thing?”

“What?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you all enjoyed!!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Fine” he sighed, “OK, sometimes, I just worry that you’re so much more well-travelled than I am. You’ve seen the world and shit, I’m just some….I dunno, city punk who’s only left New York twice. What if one day you get bored of how uncultured I am?”
> 
> “Pete, that’s never going to happen” Harley said with a smile as he settled Peter back into the more comfortable position they’d woken up in, “For one, your excitement at new experiences is literally like third on my list of favourite things about you. I’ll never tire of it. Second, I’m happy with you wherever we go. If we’re hanging out on top of some skyscraper after you’ve romantically swung me around the city at sunset, or if we’re at the top of a mountain you’ve carried me the final third of the way up….the most important thing to remember is that you’re hella strong and it’s sexy as hell.”
> 
> “Harley” Peter groaned, “I’m being serious!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is literally just like 6.5k words of pure fluff???? Enjoy.

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 16._

Oh Canada (Part II)

Harley didn’t think he’d ever had a happier start to a morning than he had waking up with Peter’s head resting on his chest, allowing Harley to sooth his hands through the boys mess of morning curls. Peter’s hair was untamed in all its curly beauty at the best of times but there was something about how messy it was after a nine-hour sleep that made something inside Harley go all soft and mushy. Peter traced circles with his fingers on Harley’s bare chest and hummed contentedly.

“This was definitely worth risking my life jumping across a balcony for” he said with a smile, “And I think it’s cute how you’re trying to grow your chest hair out. You’ll be a real man, soon.”

“Maybe I’ll move to the forest and become a burly lumberjack” Harley replied with a laugh, “Betcha I can get Steve and Clint to come with me.”

“I’m down” Peter yawned, “A lifetime full of watching Cap’s ass as he chops wood in half. Sign me up.”

“Hey, I’m hypothetically there as well, y’know” Harley groaned, “And please don’t sexualize my Uncle Steve, it makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable.”

“Well tell Uncle Steve to stop having such a nice ass” Peter said with a shrug, “I’m only kidding though anyway, I’m a city boy at heart. As you’re soon to find out after today.”

“Oh yes” Harley sighed, “The hike. Should be fun.”

“D’you think it’s weird that I’ve never been on a mountain before?” Peter asked, “Hell, I don’t think I’ve ever been on so much as a country walk, unless you include Central Park.”

“Why would it be weird?” Harley asked, “City boy likes the city. Not exactly world changing news.”

“That’s the thing though” Peter groaned, sitting up in bed and turning to face Harley, “I don’t really even know if I prefer one over the other, I’ve never even had the chance to compare them. The most rural place I’ve ever been in Washington DC. The freakin’ hub of western democracy!”

“Well, that’s debatable” Harley said with a shrug. Stupid president. At least he didn’t have to put up with the guy as a neighbor anymore. “It’s nothing to stress about, Pete. Think of it as something exciting. I’m certainly not going to judge you for never having been up to your knees in cow shit because Tony Stark thinks he knows more about how to wade through a national park than the appointed tour guides.”

“I guess” Peter sighed

“Does this really actually worry you?” Harley asked, raising an eyebrow, “Cos it really don’t matter to me one bit, y’know that, right?”

“I just worry sometimes that you’re gonna….no, it’s stupid” Peter muttered sadly, causing Harley to take his hand place it on his chest. Peter blushed a little, which made Harley grin. The gym sessions with Natasha were finally starting to pay off.

“I will never think anything you worry about is stupid” Harley assured him, “I’ll disagree and I’ll move the entire freakin’ galaxy if it means proving to you that whatever it is that has you worried isn’t going to hurt you, but I’ll never think your worries are stupid. Worries are valid.”

Peter sighed and chewed his lip a little.

“Fine” he sighed, “OK, sometimes, I just worry that you’re so much more well-travelled than I am. You’ve seen the world and shit, I’m just some….I dunno, city punk who’s only left New York twice. What if one day you get bored of how uncultured I am?”

“Pete, that’s never going to happen” Harley said with a smile as he settled Peter back into the more comfortable position they’d woken up in, “For one, your excitement at new experiences is literally like third on my list of favourite things about you. I’ll never tire of it. Second, I’m happy with you wherever we go. If we’re hanging out on top of some skyscraper after you’ve romantically swung me around the city at sunset, or if we’re at the top of a mountain you’ve carried me the final third of the way up….the most important thing to remember is that you’re hella strong and it’s sexy as hell.”

“Harley” Peter groaned, “I’m being serious!”

“I know, sorry” Harley said with a laugh, “Peter, you don’t have to worry about that kind of thing, as long as I’m with you. I’m happy. I don’t care. If you want me to help show you the world, I’ll do that. If you want to hold up in an apartment for the rest of our lives, I’ll do that. As long as I’m with you, I couldn’t give a shit where we are.”

“You’d really show me the world?” Peter asked

“Think of me as your own personal Aladdin” Harley smiled, “Except I’m actually rich.”

Peter finally smiled. “How did I land you?” he asked, settling back on Harley’s chest, “More to the point how does ninety percent of the world have you so wrong? You’re literally the nicest person I’ve ever met.”

“How did you land me? Are you seriously asking me that right now?” Harley sighed, “Damn, maybe I really should show you that list of things I love most about you.”

Peter shot right up and had a cheeky grin on his face.

“Hang on, the list was literal?” he asked, eyes widening 

“Yeah” Harley blushed a little, “I didn’t intend on telling you quite so soon because I didn’t want to seem like some weirdo who’s too obsessed with his awesome boyfriend but yeah….yeah, I got an actual list of things I love most of you. Problem?”

Now it was Peter’s turn to blush. “None at all” he gulped, “Can I see it?”

“No way, not yet at least” Harley laughed, “Your humility ranks in the top ten and I don’t want to risk losing that. I didn’t bring it with me anyway.”

“Can I see it when we get back to New York?” Peter asked, “I want to know what number one is. It better not be my ass!”

“It’s not your ass” replied Harley with a smile and blushing harder than he ever had done in his life, “It’s something entirely pure, I assure you.”

Peter kissed Harley on the lips and straddled him.

“How long have we got do you think?” he asked

“Probably around half an hour” Harley yawned, “But before we even think of doing anything like that, I’m going to need you to promise me one thing.”

“Anything” Peter said impatiently

“Don’t tell anyone that I keep a list of my favourite things about you” Harley said softly, “It was only ever meant to be for us, even if I didn’t exactly plan on letting you see it anytime soon. I don’t want the whole world and his nosy wife knowing our business. And they should know how many amazing qualities you have without having to shift through my subpar penmanship.”

“Aww, I think you’ve got lovely handwriting” Peter said sadly, “And don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul about your weird creepy shrine to me.”

“It’s not a shrine” Harley said rolling his eyes, “You…err, you really think I got nice handwriting?”

“Yeah, if I was to make a list about you, I’m sure your handwriting would be at least top twenty” Peter replied with a smile, before his eyes lit up once again, “Oh my god, I’m totally gonna write my own list of favourite things about you. Screw the hike. I know what I’m doing this afternoon.”

“You have to come on the hike” Harley replied, “The hike is a non-negotiable. We’re on an unofficial timeshare holiday here, Parker, any deviation and they might just send us back home.”

“What does that matter as long as we’re together?” Peter asked with a mischievous wink and a knowing, almost cocky smile that Harley found so sexy he could feel himself going insane.

He rolled his eyes and flung himself into Peter’s arms, so he was now the one on top.

“We really need to establish a way in which you can prepare me for your moodswings” he said quietly as he began kissing Peter’s neck, “I adore cocky and confident Peter but I also adore cute puppy-ish Peter and I kinda get whiplash with how quickly you can flit between the two. Give a guy a heads up yeah.”

“What do you want me to say?” a slightly breathless Peter asked, “’Oh Harley, I’m suddenly feeling a surge of confidence, suave Peter landing in five’?” 

“Yes” Harley said with a laugh, “Is that so damn hard to ask?”

“Well, no, I guess not” Peter chuckled, “Ruins a lot of my fun though. You’re always so cool and collected, you have no idea how endearing it is seeing you all confused and falling into second place and if my moodswings are the only way I can enjoy that, then they’re here to stay buddy boy.”

“So, you enjoy toying with me?” Harley asked.

“Oh Harley, I would never toy with you for my own gain” Peter said innocently, putting on an exaggerated and puppy-ish pout which almost immediately morphed into the cocky grin he’d had on his face just seconds before, “But something tells me doing so ranks very highly on your absolutely and not-at-all creepy list.”

Harley moaned and shut Peter up with a filthy kiss. Maybe the effect Peter’s moodswings had on him was the top of his list, that was his business and his business alone. For now.

*

Peter knew the Starks must be on to his whole innocent act. There was no way two socially conscious, liberal, genius billionaires could notice their son appear at breakfast as breathless, dishevelled and deliriously smiley as Harley had done that morning and not put two and two together. Still, if they had figured out that Peter and Harley had broken their number one rule on day one of the vacation, they gave no obvious indication and continued to treat Peter with nothing less than overwhelming kindness.

“So, where’s this hike happening, then?” Harley asked a few minutes after they’d arrived, “I don’t want to end up doing a hike to get to an even bigger hike.”

“It’s up a mountain, that’s all I know” Natasha replied with a shrug, “Might want to head back upstairs after this and get yourselves properly prepared boys.”

“How’d you mean?” asked Peter nervously

“Well, have you not seen the weather?” Pepper asked, “You two are dressed as if we’re on vacation in the Bahamas. It’s raining pretty hard out there.”

Harley groaned.

“And we’re still hiking? What about Morgan?” he asked

“I’ve got my Elsa wellies, silly” Morgan replied with a roll of her eyes, “And my raincoat. You two are gonna get really cold in your t-shirts.”

“The squirrels deserve to see my biceps though” Harley exclaimed, everyone around him bar Peter laughed. 

“We’ve still got some time before Clint, Laura and the kids get here” Tony said, “Once you’ve finished your breakfast, just go back up and get changed.”

“Yeah, yeah” Harley replied with a smile before shooting Peter a confused look. Peter’s face had gone a deep shade of red and he was currently in the middle of trying to suppress an oncoming panic attack, of which Harley had become something of an expert at spotting. Peter’s panic attacks very rarely ended up being like the one in the airport, they were usually so self-contained and insular that no one around him would even notice it was happening unless they specifically knew what signs to look for. Harley thanked the gods for Michelle Jones for her running him through the warning signs the previous week. Uncharacteristic silence and not eating were the biggest two, and Peter had not yet eaten a bite of food and hadn’t spoken for a good few minutes as the conversation around him ploughed on.

Tony seemed to have noticed Peter’s state as well which was no help to the boy, who was internally cursing himself to hell and back for being so pathetic. He refused, refused, to be having a panic attack in front of Harley’s whole family but he couldn’t help it and then his embarrassment had only served to fuel his panic and make the episode a lot worse. He felt a little more grounded when he felt Harley’s hand land on his knee and start to stroke his leg with his thumb.

“What’s wrong?” Harley whispered to him, “Come back to me, Pete. Everything’s fine. We’re just at breakfast, everything’s fine. Where’ve you gone, sweetheart, where’ve you gone?”

Peter reached across and clutched Harley’s hand as though it was the only thing in the whole Universe keeping him alive. Harley winced slightly at how tightly Peter had grasped his hand but powered through it. 

Peter whimpered slightly. It was stupid. It was all so fucking stupid. It was just a coat. All of this, the humiliation, was just over a stupid coat. But it was a stupid coat that he didn’t have and apparently would now need to go on the hike. And the worst thing was he’d got himself in to such a state that he couldn’t even communicate his stupid worried to Harley, and he so needed to. 

“Let’s go upstairs” Harley repeated quietly. Peter managed to nod his head and take a deep breath, wordlessly getting up from the table whilst Harley told his family they were heading back up to go and get changed for the hike. Peter waited anxiously as the restaurant doors for Harley to catch up after Tony had pulled him to the side for a few seconds and whispered something to him. Harley smiled and put his arm around Peter’s shoulder and gently guided him back to his room.

Peter flopped on his bed the second they reached the room, feeling a lot calmer now he was not surrounded by people who were nice but with the best will in the world, were still strangers to him. Harley sat down next to him and allowed Peter to rest his head on his shoulders.

“I’m sorry” Peter muttered after a few minutes, “You can go downstairs and get your breakfast. I know you must be hungry.”

“Don’t give a shit” Harley said with a shrug, “You’re more important. I just want to help.”

“You’re gonna say it’s stupid” Peter whimpered, causing Harley to roll his eyes.

“What did we just talk about?” he asked, “I’m never going to think anything you say or think is stupid. I love you; I just want you to be happy. Are you missing May? D’you wanna go home? I won’t mind.”

“Not that” Peter muttered, “Want to stay. Just….fuck, it’s so dumb. You’re gonna laugh. I swear.”

“I promise I won’t” Harley said seriously, “Try me anyway, you’ll see.”

“I don’t have a coat” Peter mumbled. Harley’s heart sank. Of course, Peter was upset because he didn’t have a raincoat with him. It made sense. “It’s not just that I didn’t bring one with me, I just don’t have one. I…the one I had got too small for me in February and then it started getting warmer so we just held off getting me a new one because we can’t really afford it and we decided it wasn’t a necessity but-“

“Hey, hey, hey” Harley said soothingly, rubbing his hand up and down Peter’s back, “Look, I’m not laughing at you, am I? And I don’t think you’re stupid. I’m just sorry that I didn’t realize sooner why you were so upset about it. This isn’t a problem, Pete. We can absolutely fix this.”

“How?” Peter asked, “May only gave me so much money, I won’t have any left if I go out and splurge it all on a new raincoat now. And before you offer to buy me one-“

“I wasn’t going to” Harley interrupted him, “I know you wouldn’t want me to, but there is another more obvious and dare I say it, romantic solution.”

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?” Peter asked, “You’re too tall for me to borrow one.”

“Barely” Harley said with a laugh, “This is classic boyfriend shit, Pete. Borrowing clothes. You watch, in a few months, I bet our wardrobes will have blended into one. I’ve got a spare raincoat, just borrow it. So what if it might end up being a bit big on you? It’ll be cute.”

Peter smiled and kissed Harley on the cheek.

“Fine” he sighed, “As long as you’re sure. And I’m only borrowing it for today, you’re not just giving this to me, are you?”

“No, I want it back this afternoon once we’re done” Harley said with a smile, “And believe me, Parker, there’ll be hell to pay if you don’t return it in a better condition than I gave it to you in.”

Peter smiled and ducked his head a little, smiling to himself. 

“What?” asked a curious Harley

“It’s going to smell of you” Peter smiled, “I’ve been kind of worrying about going on a hike, but it’ll be easier if I’m wearing a coat that….that smells of you…”

Harley beamed and kissed Peter on the cheek.

“I’ll go and get you that coat” he said softly, kissing Peter quickly before hopping off the bed and racing into his own bedroom. Peter sighed and looked at himself in the mirror, quickly pulling off his clothing and searching for a better suited outfit for a mountain hike. Luckily, he’d grown enough that he could fit into most of Ben’s old walking shoes.

He was just about dressed when Harley stepped back into the room with a coat in hand. 

“Damn, couldn’t you have waited to strip off until I was back in the room?” he asked teasingly, “I’m giving you a coat, the least you could have done is let me have a peak at your abs.”

Peter rolled his eyes and quickly rolled up his shirt to give Harley a quick peak. His boyfriend beamed before throwing the coat in Peter’s direction. It was, indeed, much too big for Peter and pretty much swallowed him whole and completely covered his arms. Peter groaned a little as Harley suppressed a grin.

“Oh god, you are just too precious baby” Harley cooed as he pulled Peter in a little closer to him and planted a kiss on his lips, “God, you’re so fucking gorgeous. Like, do I tell you that enough? God, Pete. You drive me crazy.”

“Back at ya” Peter replied as they kissed again, “Thanks for the coat and thanks for being so cool about my stupid meltdown-“

“Not stupid-“

“Anyway” Peter sighed, “Thank you. I really didn’t want your family to see me like that, so thanks for pulling me away so quickly. I….I’m worse when other people can see.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured, but I don’t think anyone but Dad really clocked there was anything wrong with you to be honest” Harley replied.

“Is that why he took you to one side?” Peter asked

“Yeah” Harley said with a smile, “Wanted me to let you know that it was totally alright if you wanted to hang back here and dodge the joke. Which it still is, by the way.”

Peter shook his head.

“I’m good” he said taking Harley’s hand, “I’m good, as long as I’m with you.”

*

With Peter’s panic attack long forgotten about by the time everyone piled in Clint Barton’s hired land rover and headed deep into a forest just outside of town, Harley actually felt reasonably good about going on the hike. Even if Cooper Barton, who had always hero worshipped him for as long as Harley could remember, wouldn’t stop asking him every question he could think of and carried on trying to impress Harley through crude jokes and offensive humour. Lila Barton had spoken once. The sight of Peter had rendered her pretty much speechless and she blushed furiously whenever Peter even so much as looked in her direction, Harley was sure the poor girl was about to faint on the spot when Peter offered to give her a hand out of the land rover once Clint had parked up.

“So, is Harley your boyfriend?” Cooper asked bluntly about twenty minutes into the walk, “Damn, I had no idea he was gay.”

“Not a problem, I hope?” Peter asked somewhat impatiently. He had the patience of a saint but Cooper was already more than testing it.

“Nah” Cooper shook his head, “Not a problem. Just a surprise. He’s always had girlfriends.”

“That’s because he’s bisexual, you dumbass” Lila piped up from behind them. Peter smiled. This was the first time she’d actually managed to speak in front of him. “God, you’re so ignorant.”

Harley, who had quickly ducked out to take a wiz behind a tree, suddenly reappeared and put his arms back around Peter before carrying on walking. Peter had been surprised that Harley had introduced him eagerly to Clint and Laura as his boyfriend. It wasn’t that Peter didn’t want Harley to do so, but rather for the sake of privacy he’d assumed their relationship would be on a need to know basis for the time being. Apparently Clint and Laura could be trusted, though. Peter was less sure about the kids. 

“They haven’t been annoying you too bad, have they?” Harley asked quietly as they ended up falling a little behind the two younger kids, who ran ahead to ask their mother when the group would be stopping for a lunch break on Harley’s suggestion.

“Just a lot of questions” Peter replied, “You know how I feel about questions.”

“Hmmm….Lila’s alright but Cooper can be a little dickhead sometimes” Harley sighed, “I like the kid, but he’s got way too much to say for himself and he thinks he’s hot shit because he knows me. Mom was telling me he boasts about it at school and everything.”

“Reckon he’s gonna keep the little-known secret that you have a boyfriend to himself?” Peter asked with his eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, I might’ve jumped the gun on that one” Harley noted, “I’ll speak to Dad and Clint later and make sure Cooper knows that he can’t say anything about us. Lila will be chill, no doubt. She’s way too intimidated by me to go and gossip about me.”

“D’you have to spend much time with them?” Peter asked, “I’ve always been the only kid in my family, what you can call a family anyway, so I don’t really have much to do with younger kids.”

“We always seem to end up meeting whenever we go on vacation” Harley replied with a shrug, “I think Mom and Dad like me seeing Cooper because he sees me as some kinda role model. How funny is that? I think they think I’ll behave better around him.”

“Yeah, cos you’re so awful when you’re not” Peter replied sarcastically.

“Pete, you gotta remember the kind of shit I was getting into before I knew you” Harley reminded him, “I was totally off the rails. Drinking, smoking, sleeping around, hijacking planes. It was only when Mom told me it made it hard to love me that I-“

“She said what?!” Peter exclaimed.

“It sounds harsh, I know, but I’d pushed her to her limit” Harley shrugged, “She didn’t mean it. I could tell. Anyway, my point is, I always got palmed off on Cooper and Lila on vacation so I wouldn’t run into more trouble. It worked. I wasn’t about to rope two little kids into my shit, especially not when their father is like the world’s best archer.”

Peter laughed.

“You’re so noble, babe” he noted

“It’s tough, but someone has to do it” Harley replied with a wink, “So, how is Peter Parker enjoying his first ever hike?”

“It’s OK” Peter shrugged, “Little cold and damp. Seems like a long way up, kind of wish I could actually go full Spider-Man and just swing you up to the top and make out with you behind a tree.”

Harley grinned and pulled Peter slightly off the track, behind a tree. He pushed Peter into the back of the tree and took his hands out of his pockets.

“You read my mind” he said with a smile, “Seems like we should at least try and get one of those things done, why not now?”

“Fine but I do wanna get to the top at some point” Peter replied with a smile, “I’ve never been to the top of a mountain before and I promised May a picture of the view.”

“Oh, we’ll get there” Harley shot back, “We’re just having a little make out break. It’s good for the soul or whatever. And it might scare off the rugrats if they wonder back down to try and find us.”

Peter laughed and eased into the kiss that Harley soon planted on his lips. They made out for a few minutes, briefly pausing and struggling to hide their laughter when Cooper and Lila inevitably ran back down to try and find them and were very confused when the boys were nowhere to be found, they eventually ran off and the boys carried on kissing for a few seconds before Peter suggested that they make their presence known before anyone began to panic. 

He led Harley by the hand and they ran up to catch up with the rest of the group, finding them after a few minutes, already sitting down to eat their packed lunches. The rain had stopped and the sun was out, meaning everyone was happy just perching on some rocks and looking out over the view half way up the mountain. Harley couldn’t stop smiling when he noticed the awe in Peter’s eyes as he ran up to the edge and admired the views below him. 

“It’s so beautiful” he breathed.

“Relax, babe, we’re only halfway there” Harley reminded him

“Even better” Peter smiled, his adorably puppy-ish excitement showing itself for the first time since that morning and making Harley catch his breath for a moment as it dawned on him just how in love with Peter Parker he actually was, “It’s going to look so amazing at the top, I can’t wait.”

“Well, let’s get something to eat first” Harley said, pulling Peter away from the edge and back to the rest of the group, “I’m starving.”

Peter smiled and thanked Laura profusely as she handed him a homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which he dug into immediately. Harley rested his head on his shoulder as he dug into his own dinner and soon enough Morgan had perched herself in between them and was telling Peter all about the different kinds of wildlife that they had seen on the way up. Harley laughed when Peter seemed visibly upset that he’d missed the sighting of a deer earlier. 

“You wanna walk with me on the rest of the way up?” Morgan asked innocently, “You’ve been with Harley all the time so far.”

“Honey, Peter can walk up with whoever he wants to” Pepper reminded her daughter.

“No, it’s cool, I’ll walk with you Morgs” Peter replied with a smile, “Hey, I bet if you show me the way, you and me can get to the top before anyone else can.”

“Definitely” Morgan said with a confident nod, sticking her tongue out at Harley who didn’t miss a beat and immediately stuck his own tongue out back at her. 

True to form, once everyone was done with their lunch, Peter and Morgan took off first with Natasha just behind them to provide actual directions as Morgan’s method of “over there!” had quickly been judged to be not as useful as she assumed. Harley felt a little pathetic for the fact he already missed Peter a little bit even though he was literally still within his eye-line.

“Ahh, young love” Laura said with a sigh as she walked next to him, “I remember it well. He’s a catch, Harls, a really nice young man. I think Lila’s a little smitten.”

“Most people who meet him are” Harley confessed, “I really…he’s amazing, Auntie Laura.”

“You make a really sweet couple” Laura said kindly, “And so handsome, the both of you. The media is going to have an absolute field day when they find out about the pair of you.”

“Yeah, about that-“ Harley began.

“Oh, don’t worry sweetie, I’ll make sure neither of my two say a word” Laura assured him, “Cooper wants to be like you so much, I’m sure if I tell him how upset you’d be with him if he told anyone, well…he’ll never breathe a word to anyone.”

“Still really don’t understand why he likes me so much” Harley confessed, speaking before his brain even really registered what he’d just said. Laura smiled sadly.

“Because you’re a sweet, kind, lovely young man” Laura sighed, “You got a little lost along the way but Clint and I always knew you’d find your way back. And you have. And I’m sure Peter had a hand in that but I’d bet it’s not all down to him. There’s so much goodness in you sweetheart, just like your Dad.”

“Don’t let him or Uncle Clint hear you say that” Harley said with a weak, teary laugh, “It’ll probably start the ball rolling on World War Three.”

“I’d disagree, but they just started a running race to the top” Laura sighed.

“Idiots” Harley sighed, looping his arm with his aunt Laura’s, “Let’s take our time. I wanna hear all about you now.”

*

Harley smiled as Peter fell asleep contently on his shoulder as they drove back to the hotel. He was vaguely worried that Peter giving Lila, Morgan and then even Cooper piggybacks all the way from the halfway point to the bottom of the mountain on their way back had aroused a bit of Spider-Man suspicion from Natasha and Tony but neither had mentioned anything yet. 

It had been a more tiring hike than anyone had been expecting, and all of the younger kids had pretty much conked out the second they’d been placed back in the jeep. Harley was still awake through nothing more than pure protective adrenaline with his boyfriend and little sister sleeping on each side of him. Peter’s had was looped with his and Harley was reminded of the overwhelmingly loving sensation he’d woken up with that morning with Peter in his arms. He softly kissed Peter’s temple and smiled when Peter shifted into the touch and smiled sleepily himself. Harley blushed a little when he caught Laura’s eye in the rearview mirror. 

“Harley” Peter said in his sleep, smiling to himself and Harley felt like he damn well couldn’t breathe. 

“Right here” Harley whispered before slowly and carefully removing his phone from his jacket pocket and scrolling to his notes app. Of course, he had saved his list of things he loved most about Peter on their, just in case something came to mind whilst he was out and about and away from his notebook which held the list proper. Smiling to himself, Harley typed out his latest reason;

_#243: The way he cried when he saw the view from the top of a mountain for the first time._

It had been a heartwarming sight. Harley and Laura had ended up being the last to reach the top of the mountain due to getting sidetracked by their conversation. When Harley had come into Peter’s view, the boy had raced over and dragged him by the hand to the very edge of the mountain and planted one almighty kiss on him.

“It’s beautiful” Peter said. 

Harley had to agree. The sun had started to set by the time they’d reached the top and had given them one hell of a view as they sat down and took it all in. Peter’s tears had gone unnoticed by everyone but Harley, who shot his boyfriend a confused look as he saw the droplets of water fall off his nose and on to the ground. 

“Why?” Harley asked.

“I dunno” Peter said with a laugh, “I’m not sad, though. I think I’m just….I think I’m just happy. I feel the happiest I’ve felt in such a long time. Maybe ever.”

Harley nodded.

“Ben would have loved this” Peter said tearfully, “He always wanted to take me on a trip like this but we never got the chance. Kinda feels like he’s here with me now, is that weird?”

“Least weird thing I ever heard” Harley sighed, “I’m sure he is. And I’m glad you’re happy. That’s all I wanted out of this whole vacation.”

“Thank you” Peter breathed, “Thank you for everything. I love this. I love you.”

“I love you too, so much” Harley replied lovingly.

They’d decided to head back down not long after. Lila and Morgan were already half asleep and no one seemed to have any desire to ease down a mountain in the pitch black, no matter how many times Harley tried to persuade them it actually make it a lot more exciting. Peter had ended up giving piggybacks to the three younger kids when all three ended up faltering at the half way point and had managed to somehow balance getting them all back down in quick succession without making it seem so quick as to arouse suspicion from anyone else but the trained ex-spy and the overly paranoid self-made hero. 

As they sat at the back of the truck, Peter’s hands still gripped around his, Harley reflected on the day and couldn’t shake what Peter had said to him on the top of the mountain. Sighing, fighting back tears of his own, Harley re-opened his notes app and typed out yet another addition.

_#244: He makes me happier than I’ve ever been. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm aware the last two chapters have been very 'Harley supporting Peter' heavy so to make up for the next one we're in for some Harley Stark angst and I'm very excited about it (if that's the right word to use).
> 
> Thanks, as always, for the amazing responses this story provokes from so many of you. They mean the world. 
> 
> :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How much older was she Harley?” he asked.
> 
> “She was fifteen” Harley breathed uneasily, “She was fifteen and…I know it sounds wrong but I had a big crush on her and I think she really liked me, and I’ve always been tall for my age and looked older than I am so when she…when she asked me if I wanted to know…how, y’know, it felt….it just kinda happened.”
> 
> Peter kissed Harley’s hand, the only way he could think of to suppress the rage that was burning inside of him and the desire to find the girl who had taken advantage of Harley and well….maybe not kill her or harm her, but certainly let her know that he thought she was the scum of the Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty heavy chapter ahead, guys
> 
> TW for:  
-discussions regarding the sexualization of a child.   
-sexual assault of a child  
-underage sex  
-trauma related to sexual abuse  
-spiked drinks  
-attempted rape
> 
> If any of these are going to upset you in anyway, I encourage you not to read this chapter.

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 17._

Broken Pieces.

Peter frowned as he looked down at his phone. They’d been back at school for a while and Fall was definitely in the air now, the result of which meant Harley was determined to force Peter into experiencing pretty much every cliché Fall couple activity he could think of. This particular late November afternoon involved them cuddling up in Peter’s apartment and watching The Nightmare Before Christmas whilst wrapped around one another on the sofa. Peter, who had seen the film more times than he could count, had become bored rather quickly and started to scroll on his phone whilst Harley’s eyes were glued firmly to the screen. 

For fun, he’d decided to Twitter search for ‘Harley Stark’ and had been disturbed to come across a handful of accounts which seemed to be dedicated solely to overtly sexualizing his boyfriend and saying in disturbingly explicit detail what they would chose to do to him sexually if they could. Peter couldn’t help but cringe at just how much the Internet seemed to like objectifying his boyfriend, despite the fact he was still seventeen and therefore underage. 

“What’s got your face all screwed up?” Harley yawned after a few minutes, “You look like someone just stole your Pâté”

“Yes, sorry about that rich boy” Peter said playfully before turning his phone screen to Harley so he could see the problem face on, “I was just cringing at all these thirst tweets about you. Some of them are really graphic. It’s gross.”

Harley, typically, responds by smiling and painting the devilish grin on his face that both infuriates and infatuates Peter in equal measure. 

“Aww, someone’s feeling protective” he cooed, “Pete, those kind of accounts have existed for as long as I can remember. Let’s not forget I’m the world’s most prolific teenage heartthrob, and the son of two of the most famous business people in the world. Me having thirst tweet accounts dedicated to me is as inevitable as death and taxes.”

“That doesn’t make it OK” Peter mutters, “Harls, some of these accounts are really, really graphic. Not to mention a lot of the replies are coming from people who are, well, let’s just say they seem like they’re a lot older than seventeen.”

Harley shrugs.

“A woman pushed my face into her cleavage when I was thirteen” he replies so casually that Peter feels his heart break a little bit, Harley seemed way more resigned to this than he should have been, “People just get crazy when they meet celebrities. It’s just a part of life.”

“You were thirteen” Peter says, making sure to add extra emphasis to his boyfriends age, “How old was she?”

“I dunno” Harley replied with another shrug, “Like…maybe in her early twenties? It was a bit weird, but it’s not like it scarred me for life exactly. Mom was mad though, made sure the woman was thrown out of the event. I think she wanted to press charges but we realized there wasn’t much that would happen.”

“That’s awful” Peter replies tearfully, causing Harley to shoot up in concern, “I’m really sorry something that fucked up happened to you. It wasn’t right, Harley.”

“Why are you getting upset?” Harley asked softly, “Like I said, I’m not exactly traumatized by it. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t already seen by that point.”

Peter frowned once again.

“What do you mean?” he asked

“Well, I wasn’t a virgin by that point” Harley said slowly, “I’d already had sex. I’d seen breasts before.”

“Wait, you’d already had sex at thirteen?” Peter asked incredulously. For the first time, Harley blushed and looked a little bit uncomfortable. 

“Actually, it was before my thirteenth birthday” he practically whispered, “It wasn’t like it was long or anything, I’m not even sure we did it right, but-“

“You were twelve years old” Peter sighed. Harley frowned.

“So, what?” he snapped, “Why are you getting all judgemental about this? I was 12! Yeah, big deal. I was ready, I knew what I was doing.”

Peter shook his head.

“Harley, I’m not judging you babe, really I’m not” he replied calmly, “I just….that’s so young, baby. Did..did your Mom and Dad know?”

Harley shook his head.

“They think I lost it when I was fifteen” he sighed, “We were on vacation with some board members and one of the daughters and I kinda got caught by her dad, as far as my parents know that was the first time I had sex. I never told them about the other time. I knew they’d freak.”

“Yeah, exactly my point” Peter replied, “Harley, it’s not about judging your choices, but look at this way. Morgan’s seven. That’s only five years younger than-“

“It’s different” Harley snapped, “It’s different. Morgan’s a girl. It’s easier for girls to be taken advantage of, I wasn’t taken advantage of. I wanted to do it.”

“Who did you even do it with?” asked Peter. Harley’s face blushed again and he didn’t seem to be able to make eye-contact with Peter.

“A girl we knew, another board member’s daughter” he sighed, “She…look, this is gonna make you freak out all over again but you need to know it wasn’t…it wasn’t anything bad, but she was a bit…older than me”

Peter’s eyes narrowed and he reached out to hold Harley’s hand, determined to make his boyfriend know that whatever information followed his next question, he still loved and supported him no matter what. 

“How much older was she Harley?” he asked.

“She was fifteen” Harley breathed uneasily, “She was fifteen and…I know it sounds wrong but I had a big crush on her and I think she really liked me, and I’ve always been tall for my age and looked older than I am so when she…when she asked me if I wanted to know…how, y’know, it felt….it just kinda happened.”

Peter kissed Harley’s hand, the only way he could think of to suppress the rage that was burning inside of him and the desire to find the girl who had taken advantage of Harley and well….maybe not kill her or harm her, but certainly let her know that he thought she was the scum of the Earth.

“What happened after that?” Peter asked.

“Err, she said I probably shouldn’t tell anyone” Harley replied, “Said it was our little secret and I agreed cos I was embarrassed and I knew Mom would freak out if she knew. Her family moved to Dubai after that and I haven’t seen her since. It made me sad for a while but I moved on pretty quickly.”

“I’m so sorry that happened to you” Peter replied, stroking Harley’s face and realizing there was absolutely nothing he wouldn’t do for this boy, “Harls, don’t you see, it’s all part of the same thing. Her treating you like that. She used you. I don’t know why she would but…c’mon, surely you must see that’s wrong? Can you imagine looking at a twelve-year-old and thinking that you’d want to…to do it with them?”

“Of course not” Harley said slowly, “Look, I never said it was an experience I’m proud of or anything. It’s just something that happened. I moved on. We were both minors, no one was forced, it’s just one of those things but I don’t think it’s distorted my view of sex or women or anything. I’m fine.”

‘But you’re not fine’ Peter wanted to scream at him. Harley wasn’t fine. The girl had damaged him, she’d made him think that it was OK for people to look at him like he was just an object for them to use. Harley said himself he’d been embarrassed and scared after having sex that young, he clearly didn’t enjoy it, and he’d clearly convinced himself that because he was a boy and she was a girl, that didn’t make it as bad as it would have bene the other way around. Peter felt sick. 

That’s why Harley didn’t mind or get disturbed by how many graphic sexual Tweets were made about him every day. He was ‘used to it’. It was ‘just something that happened’. Peter’s boyfriend saw himself get dehumanised and overtly sexualized every day and thought nothing of it because some girl five years ago had taught him that was all he was worth.

Harley was not fine. 

But Peter didn’t feel equipped to be the one to tell him he wasn’t fine. He was scared, too. Harley leaned into his side and pressed a kiss on to his cheek.

“Thank you for worrying about me though” he said quietly, “The one thing I hate that came from it is that that’s when everyone started to call me a player. They’d always talk about how I went through girl after girl but it was never like that. I’ve only had sex with eight people, nine now I’ve slept with you. It’s not like I’m Leonardo DiCaprio or anything.”

Peter smiled and kissed the top of Harley’s head.

“I know you’re not” he sighed, “Babe, I just want you to know that you can always talk to me about this stuff. If you ever feel like it is getting too much, just tell me. I’ll always be around to help you in whatever way I can.”

“And you don’t think I’m a freak?” Harley asked, “For how young I was?”

“Never” Peter replied confidently, “I could never think that.”

*

They didn’t talk much about the incident for the next few weeks. Peter avoided sex with Harley for a while, and Harley seemed to take this as confirmation that Peter had in fact been disturbed by what he’d been told about Harley’s past sex life but didn’t want to push the issue. Sex became the elephant in the room, something they both wanted but would not dare try to initiate through fear of upsetting the other. In turn, however, they replaced the comforting feelings being physically intimate gave them with plenty of hugs and they became pretty much glued to one another’s bodies whenever they had a moment in private. Publicly, they were still on the down low so kept it to a minimum in school. Only Harry, MJ, Ned and a particular sleuth like Betty Brant were in on the relationship. 

Three days before Thanksgiving, Peter and Harley were discretely holding hands as they sat on the Bleachers and watched as MJ drew the beautiful fall scene in front of them. The peace was only interrupted when an overly excitable Harry ran over and sat himself down between Peter and Harley.

“Boys, scary MJ, I have fantastic news!” he announced.

“You’re moving to Los Angeles to live in a commune with all the other vacuous pretty boys” MJ snarked from a few seats below.

“That’s after college, Jones, keep up” Harry replied with a smile, “No, so, I got us an invite to the hottest party on Long Island the day after Thanksgiving. Brad Davis’s sisters boyfriend’s cousin Emilio’s ex-roommate’s new girlfriend’s parents are away and she’s throwing this major rager in this insane mansion and we’re invited.”

“Wow, Thanksgiving really is a family holiday” Harley noted as Peter smirked, “That sounds awesome dude, definitely count me in, I’ll drive is over. Pete?”

“Think I’ll pass” Peter replied with a shrug, “I’m taking Thanksgiving off from the Internship and I wanna catch up the next day. In case I miss anything.”

“Parker, give it up, I know you’re Spider-Man” Harry said quietly causing Peter and MJ to shoot up in horror and Harley’s face to drop as he turned towards his best friend with inquisitive eyes, praying that neither his boyfriend nor his slightly murderous looking best friend would assume he’d snitched. 

“What are you talking about? I’m not-“ Peter began

“Oh please” Harry said as he rolled his eyes, “I am the king of teenage rebellion. I can smell a big secret the adults can’t know about from a mile away, d’you really think I wouldn’t notice that my best friends boyfriend keeping arguably the biggest one in history.”

“You hacked my Dad’s security camera’s again didn’t you?” Harley replied bluntly, knowing very well when to call BS. 

“Yes” Harry admitted, “But I had my suspicions beforehand. This is great. Pete don’t look so pale my dude; I’m not going to say anything. In fact, I happen to believe I’m going to be an asset to keeping your real identity hidden. No one does deceit like an Osborne.”

“If you anything, my life is over” Peter told him bluntly. 

“I know” Harry replied with a smile, “And you mean way too much to my best friend for me to even consider risking that. And I think what you’re doing is really heroic and all that, naturally.”

“Also, if you say anything, your life will be over” MJ chimed in

“Yes, I’d gathered that would probably be the case” Harry smirked, “Anyway, Harley’s boyfriend being a vigilante on the down low wasn’t why I came over – dude, I cannot wait for this party! I can hook up with college girls, and you can drunkenly slur about how much you love Peter. Again.”

Peter found himself deep in thought for a moment. He couldn’t help but wonder just how much Harry already knew about what had happened to Harley when they were twelve. By Harley’s own admission, Peter knew the two had been best friends since way before then and had always told one another everything, did Harry know that Harley had been taken advantage of so badly? Did he even care? Hell, had Harry gone through something similar too? 

“Yo, Petey Pie, come back to us” Harley’s voice called out a few seconds later, Peter blinked and found that Harry had left and MJ had seated herself down and taken up drawing once again, “Thought I’d lost you to the great unknown for a second there.”

“Sorry, y’know how I get some times” Peter replied, “You’re definitely going to this party then?”

“Yeah, sounds like fun!” Harley replied, “Schools been so crazy this semester, I’m not going to pass up an opportunity to let my hair down if I can. Are you sure I can’t persuade you to come? Your proper introduction into the true upper echelons of New York society?”

“I’m good, your highness” Peter sighed, “Just…promise me you’ll be careful?”

Harley frowned.

“Of what?” he asked

“Well, you’ll be drinking and stuff-“

“So?” Harley replied testily, “A few shots of vodka isn’t going to make me stupid enough to suddenly forget and betray everything we have. I thought you thought more of me than that.”

“I do” Peter sighed, “Of course I do, it’s other people I worry about.”

“Peter, I’ve been going to parties like this for years and nothing has ever happened” Harley replied with a smile, “Harry and I know our limits. We know when to stop, we can sense when the night’s not heading in a good direction and make it out of their ASAP. I’d never drive drunk though, normally we just find an emergency hotel or an Air BnB or something if we need to get out of there. It’s cute that you worry but I know what I’m doing. All bases covered; I promise.”

Peter’s shoulder sagged as he let out a sigh of relief.

“Sorry, I’m being dumb” he said, “I know you’re safe, and I trust you. Of course I do. I’m just…well, what you told me at the weekend kinda…”

“It won’t be like that” Harley assured him, “I swear.”

“But you’ll call me up if you do need some help, promise me” Peter asked, “I’ve never webbed all the way out to Long Island before but I’m sure I can make it fairly quickly.”

“I’ll call you if we run into trouble, I promise” Harley said with a smile, “But there’s really no need cos we won’t”

Peter wished he could have believed that.

*

Thanksgiving passed without major incident. Peter and May had been asked to dinner at Stark Tower on Pepper’s insistence, an invitation both were reluctant to accept until Pepper agreed to either let May pay partly for the food and assist Tony with preparing it. They’d had a nice meal together. May and Pepper were becoming firm friends and the energy and magnetic pull between Peter and Harley was becoming just that bit more potent every time they were together. Their parents all agreed over a few drinks later that night once the kids had retired to bed that they probably should have been concerned about just how intense Harley and Peter’s connection was but couldn’t bring themselves to. 

The boys had neglected to inform the Starks that Harley and Harry would be attending a college age rager in Long Island the next day. They were covering by saying that Brad Davis was having a sleepover at his house, a lie that was successful thanks to nothing more than Harry’s boundless charisma which rendered even Pepper Potts being wrapped around the teenager’s little finger. There was never any question of any sinister alternative truth. Peter hung around Stark Tower for most of the daytime as May had to get back to work, the boys spending most of their day wrapped around one another on the couch and watching an entire season of Brooklyn 99.

By early evening, they walked hand in hand to Harry’s penthouse where the teenager would pick Harley up and they’d drive out to the party together.

“Last chance to change your mind and come with me” Harley said almost pleadingly as Harry pulled up in his Dad’s car behind them. Peter sighed.

“I gotta patrol” he said quietly, “It’s been two days and I always get kind of antsy if I don’t check in for a few days, anything could have happened.”

“Yes, I heard Queens exploded last night” Harley replied with a sarcastic smile etched on his face, he lovingly pulled Peter in closer to him, “Seriously, I love that you do this but I really wish you wouldn’t beat yourself up for sometimes struggling to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

Peter shrugged.

“I gotta do what I gotta do” he replied with a smile, secretly wishing he could tell Harley that he’d spent the last week wishing his amazing boyfriend would recognize how amazing and deserving of love he really was and that the way he’d been treated as a twelve year old was not right, but now was not the time, “And like our mutually favourite Canadian singer-songwriter says, Everything I Do, I Do It For You.”

“Shawn Mendes didn’t write that song” Harley smirked, “Anyways, if I can’t persuade you to come tonight, at least meet us for very hungover breakfast tomorrow? Test those webbing skills, you got a mostly free day don’t ya?”

“Got a mean LEGO date with Ned planned but that’s not till the evening” Peter said with a smile. Harley grinned and kissed him briefly.

“My boyfriend is such a nerd” he said adoringly, “Hey, maybe you can make me a model or something? I’d treasure it forever.”

“You really mean that, don’t ya” Peter replied, eyes sparkling as Harley blushed and pulled him in for a slightly longer and heavier kiss that was only broken up when Harry beeped the horn of the car.

“You two are the purest thing in the Universe but if we don’t leave now we’re going to be so fucking late to this thing we might as well not go” he shouted. Harley rolled his eyes.

“Last, last, last chance” he said quietly

“No” Peter said definitively, “I need to patrol. I’ll see you tomorrow, I love you and I have to say for the record, you look completely incredible. Like….you normally look gorgeous but wow…you’re, yeah, leaving me kind of breathless. You’re beautiful.”

Harley blushed, hard, for the first time in Peter’s memory and looked to his feet. Peter had started giving Harley a steadier stream of compliments since finding out what had happened to him as a child. It seemed that in all the sexualized tweets and graphic sexual acts people wished to perform on him being widely distributed online, very few people actually seemed to stop and let Harley know just how beautiful he really was. So, Peter had taken it upon himself to fill in the blanks as often as he could and it always emitted the most adorable of responses from Harley. 

“Stop making me blush, Parker” he replied quietly, “That’s meant to be my job, you beautiful asshole. And I have to get through an entire party thinking about how your Spidey suit catches you in all the right places.”

Peter laughed and gave Harley one last kiss and a hug before giving Harry a short wave and running off towards the Subway station to take him back home. Harley sighed sadly as he watched Peter descend down the stairs, he always felt slightly melancholy when Peter and he (increasingly rarely) went their separate ways but there seemed to be something particularly poignant about this goodbye. Harley didn’t want to stop staring at the spot where Peter finally vanished from their view. He didn’t even know if he wanted to go to the party anymore, but he’d promised, and Harry was waiting for him. 

“It’s really love between you two, my god” Harry said with a smile as Harley climbed into the car and buckled himself in, “I’ve never seen two people more in love.”

“Yeah, I can’t even put it into words” Harley confessed, “I think my reputation as a cold stone heartbreaker is going to totally vanish soon. I want to tell the world about me and Peter, I just need to figure out a way to do it that doesn’t involve removing any hope he has of a private life.”

“He’s already a mini-celebrity in his own right, thanks to us” Harry reminded him, “One and a half million followers already, I think half the internet expects you two to date soon anyway.”

“People are gross” Harley said bitterly, “I just want them to leave Peter alone. He’s so worried about what they say about me, all those accounts, but I’m…well, we both know. There’s no stopping it for us. We can stop it for Peter.”

“Things been weird between you two the last week” Harry said sadly, “Don’t lie to me cos I’m not some vacuous pretty boy, no matter what Parker’s friend thinks. You told him about Chloe, didn’t you?”

Harley nodded.

“He kinda forced it out of me, freaked a little” he replied, “He’ll get over it. If I can, he can.”

“Nice to hear you finally admit there was something to get over” Harry said with a sigh, “Not sure now is the best time to be talking about this though, unless you want to.”

“Not even gonna think about it” Harley replied, “Let’s just get to this party and let our hair down a little. I need to let off some god damn steam.”

“Hell yeah, bro, let’s do this” Harry shot back half-heartedly, concern for his best friend overtaking his desire to party all of a sudden.

*

An hour into the party and despite the hard party atmosphere engulfing the Long Island mansion he was in; Harley was not having a good time at all. He was missing Peter. All he could think of was where his boyfriend was, what he was doing, if he was safe, how much he wanted to kiss him until they both collapsed onto Harley’s bed all breathless and sweaty. Quite typically, there had been a lot of fuss directed in Harley’s direction when he and Harry had first walked through the doors into the party. Harley was used to it, resigned to it. The whispers as he passed people, the stares burning into his back as he walked through the crowd of people to the kitchen, the vague noise of phone’s being taken out of pockets and pointed in his direction with intrusive photos and videos of him being taken. 

Luckily, he didn’t have the attention of the whole room for very long and the music started back up again once he and Harry had got themselves a drink each. They weren’t together for long. Harry wasn’t as famous as Harley but was still pretty known in his own right and more than capable of attracting people to him independent of his best friend and within minutes had been pulled aside by a very pretty blonde girl with whom he danced with rather suggestively in the middle of the makeshift dancefloor. Sighing, Harley took out his phone and sat down on a free sofa, hoping to get a text from Peter soon. 

“Well, well, well” a confident, expressive voice rang out from just above him. Harley looked up and smiled as a pretty girl with auburn hair appeared over his shoulder and was soon enough seated next to him on the sofa, “What brings the world’s most famous playboy to Long Island this fine November evening?”

“Oh you know, wherever there’s a party and a good time” Harley replied, “I’d introduce myself but I’m gathering that you probably already know my name – what’s yours?”

“I’m Erin” the pretty girl replied, “And just for clarity’s sake – you’re definitely Harley Stark, I’m not in some weird fever dream?”

“The one and only” Harley said smoothly, internally cursing himself for immediately falling into his default charismatic son-of-a-billionaire act whenever he got introduced to anyone. Erin seemed like a nice girl, but Harley wasn’t exactly in the mood to be talking to some nice girl at a party right now. Harley’s mind seemed only able to focus on Peter. 

He rolled his eyes as Erin scooted up to him and rested her hand on his knee suggestively. Harley smiled but pulled away a little.

“You look very nice” she told him, “All the boys here are idiots. College boys, I swear.”

“I’m still in high school” Harley felt the need to remind her, “At least these guys can buy you a drink. Just how old are you, anyway?”

“College freshman” Erin replied, “First time home since I went away. Forgot how boring it is around here, how fucked up and awful all these rich kids usually are. I regret coming.”

“Dragged along?” Harley asked. Erin nodded.

“My best friend is currently grinding on your best friend” she said, gesturing over her head to where Harry and Erin’s blonde best friend were now fully making out in the middle of the dancefloor. Harley cringed, knowing Harry would probably regret that in the morning. These girls often had a hard time letting him go. 

“Joy” Harley said sardonically, “Guess you, err, don’t know many other people here, huh?”

“Oh no, that’s the problem” Erin replied with a laugh, “Believe me, I wish I didn’t know anyone. That would make this a lot easier to stomach. At least then I could pretend there were some decent people around, present company accepted.”

“Thanks, that’s a helluva compliment” Harley said bitterly, “Why don’t you just go home, if you hate it here so much? I’m sure I could walk you.”

“Nah, friends don’t leave friends” Erin said with a shrug, “Marina’s likely to do something stupid if I leave her and then I’ll never hear the end of it. Sorry to imply your friend is stupid.”

Despite himself and his intense desire not to have a good time or enjoy Erin’s company, Harley actually found herself laughing at her lame joke. Erin seemed to have understood his silent hints about not being interested like that and the conversation then flowed between them pretty naturally. Erin asked him about school, his college plans and what Tony Stark was really like to have as a Dad. He was used to the latter question but the first two were pretty rare. No one was ever all that interested in those aspects of Harley’s life so he kind of relished getting an opportunity to talk about them, and Erin seemed genuinely interested in his answers to boot.

In return, he asked her what college was like and what he could expect from it. Erin shared some fun stories willingly and told Harley he was sweet, offering to get him another drink when he became momentarily distracted by a missed phone call from Pepper. Harley knew his mother had likely twigged that he and Harry were at a party they didn’t have explicit permission to be at and was just checking in, she probably wouldn’t have even lectured him, but Erin seemed more fun to talk to in that moment. He wanted to tell her all about Peter and spend some time gushing about his amazing boyfriend.

It was ten minutes later that he started to feel sick. 

Harley knew he hadn’t had that much to drink. Only the two vodka and cokes he’d had since he arrived and the beer Erin had gotten him when she’d got up but within fifteen minutes, Harley was slurring his words and swaying from side to side as if he’d drunk more than anyone in the room. Erin smiled at his drunken slurring and kissed him on the cheek.

“Feels bad” Harley muttered, “Feel so bad, Erin. Feel sick.”

“Oh, honey, happens to us all” Erin replied, “Why don’t we go and get some fresh air? Or maybe you could go and have a lay down somewhere? There’s like a million and one bedrooms in this place, I’m sure we can find somewhere to get some peace, no?”

“K find a bed” Harley was barely following her speech by that point, all he could do was smile a dopey smile and think of Peter, “Want to call Peter”

“Maybe when we get upstairs, hon” Erin replied with a laugh as they both stood up and she managed to just about to support Harley’s weight by putting his arm around her and pretty much leading him up the stairs. They stumbled around for a few minutes before crashing into an empty bedroom. Harley was too gone by that point to know what was going on and allowed Erin to lead him by the hand to the bed and push him onto it.

“Peter” he murmured happily to himself. 

Time seemed to stop some time after that. The next thing Harley knew, his jeans were off and Erin was straddling him, riding her hand up his shirt. He frowned.

“What’re you doing?” he slurred, “Why…why’re you on me?”

“Sshhhh” Erin whispered as she put a hand over his mouth, “Just enjoy this.”

“Don’t wanna enjoy it” Harley said quietly, “Don’t like this. Never…never said you could. Why are you on top of me?”

“Playing dumb, so cute” Erin whispered once again, “I know you want this, Stark. I saw the way you looked at me earlier. You’re so sexy. I know you’re a bit younger than me and all that, but I want you. I’ve had a crush on you for like…forever. Kiss me.”

“Not kissing you” Harley stuttered, panic beginning to rise in his chest, a mantra of ‘_Not OK, Not OK, Not OK_’ echoing through his mind, “Don’t wanna kiss you. Got boyfriend. Got Peter. Love Peter. Not you. Only Peter. Only kiss Peter.”

Peter. He wanted Peter so fucking much.

Erin shot up and looked unimpressed.

“You’re a fag?” she spat, “We’ll see about that-“

“No” Harley whined, why couldn’t he move, he should’ve been able to push Erin off of him but as she began to kiss his neck all he could do was lay there and accept what was happening. “No, don’t want this, don’t want this. You’re not Peter. I want Peter. Get off.”

Erin exhaled impatiently.

“I don’t know who Peter is but he ain’t here right now, babe” she sighed, “Just me. Just me and you, I know what you’re like. Everyone does. You fuck anything that moves. That’s what Harley Stark does. This is what you’re good at.”

Harley’s eyes finally began to leak the tears they’d been longing to release. Maybe Erin was right? Maybe this was all Harley was good at, all he was ever meant to be? Chloe had always said that he’d been nothing more than a pretty face, so who was he to disagree with Erin now? He’d had so many encounters like this before, so many times where he’d been talked into having sex because that’s what was expected of him. It wasn’t like Erin wasn’t like any of the others. She was the same. She was just the same.

But maybe that was the problem.

Cos Harley wasn’t the same anymore. He had Peter now. Sleeping with Erin would mean that he would be cheating on Peter and he would never, ever, ever cheat on Peter. He’d already kissed Erin and the guilt of that was already starting to eat away at him. He couldn’t sleep with someone else. Peter would be so hurt and he loved Peter so much.

_Peter. Peter. Peter. Peter. _

He more or less blacked out after that. At some point, he had received a harsh slap to face and heard the echo of the word ‘pathetic’ before a weight was moved off his still form. Soon after, he was in a bathroom and he was shirtless but Harry was with him and hugging him. Harley was shaking.

“It’s OK, I promise you, you’re OK” Harry whispered into his best friends sobbing head, “She’ll get what’s coming to her, I promise.”

“Peter” Harley whined, “I want Peter.”

*

Harley awoke in Peter’s arms. They weren’t in the house anymore, but a hotel room. Peter smiled and kissed Harley softly on the forehead when he saw he had woken up. Harley whimpered and allowed Peter to pull him into a firm hug, resting his head on his boyfriends muscly bare chest. 

“Pete?” he asked quietly, “You came.”

“Of course I came” Peter replied and Harley could tell he was angry, “Harry called me and I dropped everything that second. Including some ladies cat but I’m sure he was fine. He’s out the tree anyway. You were right, turns out I can web myself to Long Island pretty damn fast if I put my mind to it now.”

“I’m sorry” Harley choked, fighting back tears as unpleasant memories flooded back to him, “Oh god, I’m so sorry Peter. I fucked everything up. I’m so sorry.”

Peter frowned.

“What are you talking about, baby?” he asked.

“I cheated on you” Harley cried, “There was this girl at the party. I kissed her. Or, well, she kissed me and I didn’t exactly stop her. I’m so sorry. I’m disgusting, I’m a slut-“

“You are none of those things” Peter replied angrily, almost begging, “Please don’t call yourself names like that, Harley, because they’re not true. You are not a slut and you are most certainly not disgusting or dirty, even if I can understand why you might feel that way right now.”

“I’m sorry” Harley repeated, “Dirty, wrong-“

“Harley Stark, you listen to me and you listen to me right now” Peter snapped, “You did not cheat on me, you did not do anything wrong, someone took advantage of you. We haven’t got a doctor to you yet but it’s pretty obvious this Erin girl drugged you.”

Harley shook his head in disbelief.

“No, she didn’t” he replied, “She made a move on me and I let her cos-“

“Harley, babe, you don’t even remember what happened, do you?” Peter asked, “Babe, that girl was seen putting something in your beer before she gave it to you. She led you upstairs, took off your jeans and started kissing you and she’d have probably gone further if Harry hadn’t rushed in and stopped her. You did nothing wrong.”

“Oh” Harley said quietly, feeling no less dirty, “I didn’t, but she-why would she do that?”

“I don’t know” Peter sighed, “I think she just wanted you and you turned her down so she decided she was going to have you whether you wanted it or not. Harry said that you were calling out my name the whole time, I was never off your mind the whole team.”

“Yeah, I knew that” Harley whimpered, “I kept trying to tell her that I had a boyfriend and that I loved you, but she just called me….I think she called me a fag, and she wanted to test whether I’d still be…y’know, if we went all the way.”

“I’m so sorry, Harls” Peter said tearfully, “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I just really need you to know and understand that it wasn’t your fault, you’re not to blame.”

Harley shrugged.

“She’s right though, ain’t she?” he said, “I’m Harley Stark. I sleep around. It’s what I do, the whole damn world knows it. All I am is some kid who got lucky with his genetics and-“

“Bullshit” Peter flared up with more anger than Harley had ever seen engulf his full form, “You are so much more than that, Harley. So much more. You are worth so much more than the way you’ve been treated. It’s what I was saying last week, you’re not just some object people can use however they want and throw away afterwards. You’re allowed to say no. You’re allowed to respect yourself.”

Peter hit the nail on the head and before Harley knew what was what, a stream of tears escaped from within him and he spent the next god knows how long crying his heart out on his boyfriend’s shoulder. Peter soothed him with more patience than a saint as Harley cried out for his lost childhood, for all the times he’d allowed himself to be used through fear of saying no, from a belief that he wasn’t worth anything more than letting people use his body, from the way people spoke about him as if he didn’t have anything more to offer the world than his looks. 

He cried for twelve-year-old Harley, who woke up one morning next to someone much older than him, someone who had persuaded him he’d wanted to have sex and had left him scared and embarrassed afterwards. He cried for the boy who regularly opened e-mails and direct messages from people more than twice his age, detailing to him what they’d like to do to him and just accepted it as if it was something totally normal that he should be able to handle. He cried for the boy who felt so ashamed and dirty whenever he thought about all of that that telling his parents wasn’t even an option. He cried for the boy who had just wanted to spend some time with the first person his own age other than Harry who had treated him respect and not used him like all the others had before, the boy who had instead nearly been forced into having sex when he was completely out of it. 

“I was hard” Harley choked out sometime later, “When Erin was….I got hard. I didn’t want to be. I was…why would I…when I, I didn’t want to have sex with her, Peter. I didn’t. I didn’t.”

“I know baby, I know” Peter replied softly, “You know biology, though, right? Just because you got hard didn’t mean you were turned on, it didn’t mean you wanted her. It was just your body reacting to a sensation, you didn’t want her. I know that. I will go to my grave swearing on that.”

“What happens now?” Harley asked, “What do I do?”

“That’s up to you” Peter said kindly, “Personally, I’d tell your folks everything. I think you’re not going to be able to fully get over what’s happened to you without their support. I know they’ll both still love and support you no matter what, you don’t have to be scared.”

“I am though” Harley confessed quietly, “I’m terrified. I never…until now, I never really thought about how many people there are out there who just….they don’t think I’m a person, Pete. They just see me as a pretty face and a nice body. What if they find me? What if they do what Erin did to me?”

“Well, considering your Dad is Iron Man and your boyfriend is Spider-Man, I don’t like their chances” Peter replied softly, kissing Harley on the top of his head, “You’re going to be OK, Harley. You’ve taken such a big step today, baby, and I’m so proud of you. You’re so brave.”

“I’m weak.” Harley protested.

“You’re not” Peter assured him, “My god, you’re not.”

They stayed like that for a few more hours. Time passing by so slowly that Peter ended up wondering if the Universe had somehow recognized the importance of allowing him to have this time with Harley, to start helping him heal and recover from half a decade of sexual trauma. It was heartbreaking to think just how much Harley had lost in that time. And despite all that, the way he’d been treated as nothing more than an object, Harley had never once treated Peter with anything less than the respect May had always taught him that he deserved.

Peter had always felt safe with Harley. He’d never felt pressured or out of control with his boyfriend, which was saying a lot for how much natural goodness there was just oozing out of Harley Stark considering he had never been given the same treatment. 

Harley clung to Peter like a koala bear for the entire car journey back to New York. Peter smiled at Harry Osborne at every chance he got, feeling bad for his scathing thoughts about how much Harry had known about Harley’s abuse a few days before. Harry knew it all. He’d been the only one who knew everything and he’d spent the last few years trying to make Harley see how wrongly he’d been treated. Peter had a renewed appreciation for the guy. 

“I can’t tell them today” Harley muttered once they eventually rolled up to Stark Tower, “I’ll tell them, I promise, just not today. I just want to…”

He stopped to take a nervous breath.

“Want to what?” Peter asked as Harley took his hand and squeezed it. 

“I want one last night where they don’t look at me different” he sighed, “And don’t tell me they won’t, Pete, cos they will. How could they not? I will be different, I am different.”

“You’re still you, though” Peter assured him, “You’re still Harley Stark. Their son. The boy who’s smile lights up a whole damn city, the boy who has the biggest damn heart of anyone in the world, the boy who’s their son and whom they love more than anything else in the world. If they look at you different it’s because they’re looking at you with the same new eyes I am. Eyes that are showing them someone who is braver than they could have ever imagined.”

“I feel broken” Harley confessed, “I feel like I’ve been shattered. Like I’m in pieces. Wrong.”

Peter squeezed his hand once again.

“I’m certainly no stranger to that” he said lovingly, “After my parents, after Uncle Ben, I didn’t think I’d ever feel whole again. I still don’t but I’m closer to it recently than I ever have been. And that’s because of you. We work, Harls. You wanna know why?”

“Why?” a tearful Harley asked. 

“We’re mending one another’s broken pieces” Peter said, wiping some tears away from his eyes, “I know that you’ve helped me in ways I can’t even begin to describe, now it’s my turn to do the same for you. You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.”

“I don’t deserve you” Harley whined, “God, Pete, I don’t.”

“You do” Peter said emphatically, “You deserve someone who makes you happy and if I’m that person, somehow, then you deserve to have me. And you do, have me. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“We both cry too much” Harley said with a watery chuckle as they turned to face one another, “Maybe that’s another reason why we’re so good for one another.”

“We’re both pretty criers, too, so there’s that” Peter replied, pulling Harley in close and planting an all too brief kiss on his lips, “You mean the absolute world to me, Harley Stark. Whatever happens, whatever you chose, I’ll support it because I love you.”

“Still?” Harley asked, he had to do. He needed to know.

“Always” Peter replied breathlessly, “God, always.”

Harley nodded and rested his head on Peter’s shoulder once again as his boyfriend pulled him into a fierce and protective hug. For the first time in five years, Harley couldn’t shake the feeling that he was feeling really and truly safe.

He was loved. He was valued. He was Harley Stark and he was loved by Peter Parker. Just that thought was enough to give him the strength to face up to it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, a bit heavy.
> 
> Next chapter in around two weeks will be pure Xmas fluff though, so look forward to that!
> 
> Please leave a comment down below for this one, I'm quite anxious about this chapter!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LONG AWAITED FLUFFY XMAS CHAPTER AHEAD. ENJOY.

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 18._

All I Want For Christmas Is You

When he was six years old, Harley Stark figured Santa was not real. It just didn’t make sense. How could one man get all the way around the world and deliver presents in every house in one night? It was impossible, even his Dad wouldn’t have been able to manage that in all his Iron Man glory. He kept the theory to himself for a number of years until his mother finally freaked out when he was eleven and informed him on Christmas Eve, causing the pre-teen to fall about laughing and then subsequently regretting not realizing he could have deliberately kept the charade going for a few more years. 

“I love Christmas” Peter mused happily as he joined Harley on his double bed. It was the day before Christmas Eve and they had been pretty much cooped up in Harley’s bedroom for the last two days. “If I may quote the legend Andy Williams himself, it really is the most wonderful time of the year.”

“Eh, overrated” Harley replied. Peter frowned, and Harley grinned because it was cute. He didn’t think that Christmas was overrated at all but he knew that saying so would make Peter moody and he was very cute when he was moody.

“Take that back!” Peter exclaimed, jumping on top of Harley and pinning him down, “Take it back or I’m going to have to kiss you until you do.”

“Thus immediately removing any incentive for me to do as you say” Harley replied softly, “You know your kisses are pretty much my answer to Clark Kent’s kryptonite. As far as I’m concerned now you’ve threatened me with kisses, I’m going to become Scrooge McDuck.”

“Maybe that’s why I said it” Peter teased as he pulled Harley up by the scruff of his t-shirt and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Harley kissed back and sat up, running his hands up Peter’s back under his shirt and working to remove it all together but they were quickly interrupted by the arrival of Morgan, Pepper and a plate of warm freshly baked cookies.

“Hey, woah!” Harley exclaimed as Peter yelped and jumped off the bed, hitting the floor hard as Pepper set the plate down on Harley’s bedside table and threw her head back in laughter. Morgan, who knew something had happened but not exactly what, merely shrugged and climbed on to Harley’s bed and snuggled up to her red-faced older brother. Peter picked himself up off the floor and sat himself back down next to Morgan on the bed.

“It’s 3.30 in the afternoon” Pepper said bluntly but with a playful undertone, “At one of the most holy times of the year, you two are going to hell.”

“I’m your son” Harley shot back, “You can’t say that to me. What me and my boyfriend choose to do in the comfort of my own bedroom is none of your concern.”

“It is when the only reason we’re here is because you begged us to bake cookies!” Pepper exclaimed, “At some point, we possibly need to discuss upping the security levels on your room. I don’t want Morgan to be scarred for life.”

“Maybe knock” Harley suggested. Peter smirked.

“Whatever” Pepper said as she rolled her eyes, “Now, scooch over, we have Christmas films to watch…ooh, and I’ll play us the security camera footage of Rhodey falling over Bruce’s chair the other day. Good will to all men.”

*

“I’m cold”

“You’re always cold. You’re like ninety percent spider.”

“Fifty. And, if you know I’m always cold then why aren’t you doing anything about me being cold.”

“Gee, Jackie, I can’t control the weather!” Harley smirked, “You’re the one who insisted on a romantic Christmas Eve morning subway ride back to your apartment. This is all on you, Parker. We could be roasting marshmallows in the back of Happy’s limo right now but no…”

“I’m just a simple man-spider who just wants his boyfriend to give him a jacket, is that too much to ask?” Peter snapped

“Fine” Harley said, rolling his eyes, “Just know if that I get hypothermia, die and leave Morgan as the future heir to Stark Industries – a girl who wants to change it into a My Little Pony factory line – then the whole world will hold you responsible.”

“I can live with that” Peter said with a smirk, “I just want your jacket because I’ve gone like three days without wearing an item of your clothing and I need something to ground me.”

“Why?” Harley asked, “We’ve been practically joint at the hip for the last week. I don’t even want to think of how many times we did it.”

“I know, I just…well, if you must know I’m feeling a little anxious today” Peter confessed, “Normally I’d express that by being all silent and weepy but I’ve spent enough time around you now that I think I’ve started expressing it by being obnoxious and needy.”

“They are my two finest talents” Harley said fondly, “Why do you think you’re anxious? You’ve been a good boy; Santa will definitely visit you and my Dad can easily pull some strings if he doesn’t.”

“Comforting” Peter said with a sad smile, “No, it’s just, May told me last week and turns out she’s got to work tomorrow so I’m currently facing Christmas on my own. She’d say no but it’s like triple pay and she gets to work in the pediatric department which is like the cutest thing ever on Christmas Day.”

Harley’s face fell, he couldn’t decide if he was angrier with Peter for not saying anything before now, or with himself for being such a shitty boyfriend that Peter clearly didn’t once consider that he could have asked to come to the Tower the next day. 

“Peter, what the fuck?” he exclaimed, “Why are you only telling me this now you dope?!”

“I dunno” Peter shrugged, his voice barely audible, “I figured it’d be alright. I’ll just go out as Spider-Man, drop in on some shelters and stuff, it’s not a big deal.”

“Pete, babe, you know you could have asked us, right?” Harley asked, “You know that my mom and dad would have happily had you over in a heartbeat. They love you, you’re one of the family now. Please know that you can come by and it totally won’t be an issue at all.”

Peter nodded.

“Sorry” he muttered, “It’s just – we’ve spent every day of the last week together and I don’t want you to get bored of me.”

“Literally impossible, I can’t get enough of you” Harley said sweetly, “It’s Christmas, Peter. You don’t have to spend it on your own if you have other options.”

“May would be home by like….nine at night” Peter carried on, “I’ll wait.”

“I mean, it’s up to you” Harley replied, “And I think going out as Spidey in the morning is a really nice idea but you don’t have to spend the rest of your day on your own. I’m sure May wouldn’t want that.”

“She….she might already think I’m going over to yours” Peter confessed quietly. Harley furrowed his eye-brows in further confusion, something weird was going on here. 

“Why?” he asked

“Because that’s what I told her I’d be doing when she told me she’d be working” Peter replied shakily, “I knew she’d freak and not do the shift if she thought I’d be alone but we really need the money, and I don’t mind being on my own.”

“Bull. Shit.” Harley snapped, “Bullshit, Parker. You hate being on your own and don’t tell me you don’t because you do. How many times have we stayed on the phone until ungodly hours because you didn’t want to be on your own when May’s done the late shift? And that’s not me throwing it back in your face, cos I get it, but please don’t tell me you’ll be alright on your own tomorrow when I know damn well that you won’t be. What’s really going on here, Pete?”

Harley felt bad when he saw tears spilling down Peter’s face but was comforted somewhat by the fact that his boyfriend took his hand and rested his head on Harley’s shoulder with a deep sigh. Harley kissed the top of his head and rubbed a hand up and down his left arm.

“C’mon, you can tell me” he whispered, “You can tell me anything. You know that.”

“I know” Peter sighed, “I’m sorry I just…it’s not even really a thing. I just find Christmas really hard without Ben and my parents and I always bum May out on Christmas Day cos I jus get super sad about them not being there so I figured….I dunno, I just figured if I was on my own I wouldn’t depress anyone. I know your parents would have had me but I don’t want to ruin your guys’ Christmas by being a Debbie downer cos I’m sad about my dead relatives.”

“Peter” Harley said breathlessly because how the hell could someone be as selfless, wonderful and heartbreaking as Peter Parker, “Peter, my god, Peter. You don’t have to feel guilty about grief. I can’t say I understand how you feel because I don’t but Peter, I will never ever resent you for feeling sad about your parents or Ben. Even on Christmas Day. It’s a time for family, of course it makes you sad.”

“Just makes me feel selfish” Peter whimpered, “Just makes me feel like I’m ruining Christmas for everyone around me. I don’t want to ruin your Christmas. You deserve a nice Christmas.”

“I do” Harley replied with a nod, “And so do you. Ben would want you to. Your parents would want you to, same as May. What you chose to do tomorrow is up to you but please, please, please don’t shut yourself off and suffer through this on your own. Hell, I’ll abandon the fuck out of my family and come and hold you all day in the apartment if I have to.”

Peter shot up.

“You’d do that?” he asked. His eyes were red, his face was ashen and he looked as if he really couldn’t process what Harley had just said.

“Of course I would” Harley said simply with a smile, “I would do anything for you, Peter. If that means sitting with you whilst you cry your heart out tomorrow, I’ll do that. If that means sitting opposite you and playing footsie without my family knowing over Christmas dinner, I’ll do that. The only thing I won’t do is let you be on your own because you don’t have to be.”

Peter’s resolve completely went with that, and Harley did feel somewhat grateful that the subway carriage was empty. His boyfriend sobs were loud as he barreled into Harley’s chest and clung to him like he was the last thing on Earth. 

“Why though?” he asked

“Because I love you, dipshit” Harley replied with a laugh, “This is the kinda shit you do for the people you love. I only ever want to help make you happy and if I can’t make you happy, then all I want to do is be there for you for the bad shit.”

“I don’t deserve you” Peter muttered.

“No, we deserve one another” Harley corrected him, “We do. I guess we’ve solved the mystery of why you didn’t want to be away from me for the last few days, huh?”

Peter nodded.

“Needed you” he sighed, “Kinda makes me scared how much I needed you, I’ve been kinda spiraling since May told me.”

“And I didn’t even notice” Harley berated himself

“Don’t beat yourself up about it” Peter said sweetly, “I’m a good actor. I am secretly New York’s favourite teen super hero, don’t forget. I know how to keep shit a secret.”

“Don’t I know it” Harley said regretfully, “So, what’s the plan, then? Are we spending tomorrow in your apartment chilling out, or are we heading to the tower to watch Clint and Sam embarrass themselves during charades?”

“Maybe we could do a bit of both?” Peter suggested, “Like, spend the morning at mine. I could go out as Spidey, maybe you could even come with me? Bit of positive press spin for the Starks if you go doing charity work on Christmas morning?”

“How very cynical, but not a terrible idea” Harley replied with a laugh, “I like that idea actually. Just need to tell my folks I won’t be back tonight; I imagine they were half expecting it anyway.”

“And they won’t mind?” Peter asked

“Not one bit” Harley replied with a smile, “And even they did, it wouldn’t matter. You’re the most important person in the world to me. I love you so, so, so much Petey.”

“Yeah, I know” Peter smiled, “And I love you too. So, so, so much Harls.”

“Quit stealing my lines, Parker.”

“Screw off and give me your beanie hat. My head is cold.”

*

They spent the rest of their Christmas Eve with May who had the day off. Pepper and Tony were positively ecstatic that Peter would be joining the family for their Christmas the next day and Harley had jumped for joy when he realized that the new arrangement meant that he and Peter could swap presents in total privacy the next morning. This also gave Happy an unintentional Christmas present when he was presented with some mistletoe and a kiss from May when he quickly stopped by to drop off Harley’s presents for Peter and May. 

Christmas morning arrived with May briefly stopping by Peter’s bedroom to say goodbye before four in the morning, the boys then went back to sleep for a few hours before getting up at eight. They had some fun in the shower before settling down in the living room with Harley doing his best to make breakfast whilst Peter got his suit ready for the visit to the shelter. Once they’d eaten, they traded gifts.

“This is amazing!” Peter exclaimed as he pulled out the two tickets to Rome that Harley had booked for them to go to in February, “How did you know I’ve always wanted to go to Rome? Thank you so much, this is incredible.”

“You’re welcome” Harley said, closing his eyes with a smile as Peter kissed him, “I talked to May about it, she said she’s always wanted to take you, so guess what’s in that envelope I left on her bedside table?”

“You didn’t” Peter shrieked, tackling Harley with a hug, “May’s coming as well?”

“Yeah, of course she is” Harley replied matter-of-factly, “Couldn’t leave her out now could we, doesn’t she have relatives in Italy or something?”

“Her aunt who she hasn’t seen since she was like nineteen” Peter replied, before his eyes widening, “Oh you didn’t, Harley please tell me you fucking didn’t.”

“Marcella Esposito will be meeting us at the airport with a sign” Harley confirmed with a nod, “I contacted her last week to sort everything out, I hope you don’t think I was imposing or-“

“Imposing?! Imposing?!” Peter repeated loudly, “Jesus, Harley, oh my god, I don’t even have words for what you’ve done. It’s the most amazing thing ever. You are the purest, kindest, most generous soul in the Universe. No one else would have ever thought of this, and you did all to make May happy? Not even me, my aunt.”

“Well May being happy makes you happy and you being happy makes me happy so it’s not really this amazing selfless thing” Harley blushed a little, “I didn’t want it to be like last time when I surprised you with flights, either.”

“That was different” Peter replied, “You actually dug deep this time and found a surprise that means a lot to me and May. You just…Harley, I don’t know how but somehow you blow me away a little more every day. You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met.”

“Not too bad yourself, darlin’” Harley replied with a wink, “Now, give me my present. I am still a materialistic son of a billionaire after all. I crave that material worth.”

Peter blushed.

“I, well-I didn’t buy you anything, per say” he muttered as she sheepishly reached underneath the tree and pulled out a perfectly wrapped present, “I mean, I could have afforded something, it’s not that but I just didn’t know for sure what you wanted and I didn’t want to let you down-“

“You could never let me down-“

“So, I talked to MJ and Ned and they said I should make you something sentimental” Peter carried on, “I didn’t want to at first but then an idea came to me and I just had to do it. Afterall, what could I possibly get the boy who already has everything, including the biggest heart in all of New York”

“I’m sure it’s perfect” Harley said breathlessly, “Whatever it is.”

“Well, I’m done with the explaining part” Peter finished before sheepishly handing the present over to Harley who unwrapped it as if he was handling fine china. He tore away the wrapping paper to find a photo frame with a picture of him and Peter on the top of the mountain in Canada staring back at him. He teared up a bit and smiled at Peter.

“I love it” he said, choked.

Peter rolled his eyes.

“You dope, that’s not all of it” he sighed before reaching over and tilting the side of the photo frame to reveal a new picture. Only this wasn’t a picture. It was a Tweet. A tweet about Harley. A nice tweet about Harley. The boy kept on tilting the frame to reveal kind tweet after kind tweet that Peter had placed in the photo frame, and when he reached the end, Peter appeared in video format. Harley stared up at the real Peter with wide, teary eyed.

“Peter, I-“

“I’m about to start talking” real Peter whispered, “For once in your life, shut up and listen.”

Harley complied and looked down at the Peter in the photo frame. He was sitting on Harley’s bed in his room with Harry and Morgan to one side of him.

“Hey Harls, merry Christmas” photo frame Peter said, “I wanted to do something special for you this year, the expensive cars start rolling in next year. Basically, by now, you’ll have gone through all of the Tweets we found and put in the frame. Sometimes, I know that you really struggle with being in the public eye and all that comes with it so I just wanted to find and show you some examples of just how loved you are all around the world and how much you mean to people, but more than that, I wanted to take this opportunity to sit down and tell you how much you’ve come to mean to me over the past year. And I have to say it like this because I think if I were to say it to you in person I’d probably cry too much.”

Harley, who had long given up any attempt at not crying, laughed a watery laugh before looking over at real Peter who was already sobbing as well. He pulled his boyfriend over and sat him on his legs before holding up the frame so they could watch together. Real Peter yawned and tucked his head into Harley’s chest.

“At the start of this year, I was lost” photo frame Peter carried on, “I didn’t think I was but I was. The truth is, I’m nowhere near as over Ben’s death as I thought I was and I was shutting myself off from new people because I was too scared of them being taken away from me. Sometimes I felt like shutting myself off from May, MJ and Ned for the same reason but I’ve realized I’m pretty much stuck with them for life. Then you came into the picture, no pun intended. You came into the picture and you…well, I didn’t much like you back then. You’d just stolen a jet and you seemed to embody everything everyone always says is wrong with rich people but little by little, you tore down my walls. You were funny and kind and sweet and you actually listened to me and made me feel loved and sexy and visible and important. You were safe. Always there, you allowed me to open up to people and let myself enjoy life again. None of the amazing things that have happened to me in this last year could have happened to me without you. You’re incredible and I’m so happy and proud to be your boyfriend. I don’t have anything else to say other than thank you for being you and never, ever stop because you are the best this world has to offer, Harley Stark.”

The video ended and Harley placed in gently on the floor before turning Peter around to face him and seeing that his boyfriend was crying just as much as he was. 

“Peter, I-I don’t know what to say” he said softly, “Thank you. Thank you so much, this is the best Christmas present that I have ever received and I’m going to cherish it forever.”

“Permission to say I’m going to cherish you forever?” Peter asked.

“Permission denied” Harley said with a smile, “Wow. We’re really a pair aren’t we. I bet Harry’s not weeping over his presents right now. I bet Ned and Flash aren’t emotional train wrecks.”

“It’s our brand, baby” Peter said brightly, “It’s what I love most about us. I love the fact we can be so open and vulnerable with one another. I need an outlet sometimes and it can’t all fall on May, so knowing I have you in my corner, it’s amazing. And that’s why I did what I did with that present. Because you need to understand how amazing you are as well.”

Harley kissed Peter.

“Let’s get rock and rolling” Peter said, “We’ve got homeless people to go and help. Plus, after that, I need to suck the absolute soul out of you.”

“Big words for such a little man” Harley replied, “Again, I have to ask, can I please have sex with Spider-Man?”

“No, that’s weird” Peter frowned

“Why? It’s still you.” Harley argued

“We are not having this discussion on Christmas Day” Peter snapped, “If you want to have sex, you’re having sex with Peter Parker. Got it?”

“Yeah, yeah” Harley sighed, “One day though, I will succeed in operation: seduce Spider-Man.”

“Sure you will buddy” Peter rolled his eyes as Harley lead him by his hand back to his bedroom, “You act like me being the only person in the world who isn’t willing to give you what you want when you want it isn’t my biggest turn on.”

“I thought that was when I did the thing with my tongue?”

“That would make Hugh Heffner blush” Peter giggled, “Anyway, my point is Spider-Man is off limits, sex wise. He’s a pure hero. Not like me.”

“Did I ever mention that you transitioning from your pure doe eyes to your confident, cocky sex eyes is my biggest turn on?” Harley asked.

Peter smirked.

“Your mom’s right” he said as he kissed Harley and removed his shirt, “We are going to hell.”

“As long as we’re together, I really don’t give a fuck” Harley replied breathlessly before throwing Peter on to the bed, “Merry Christmas, Peter.”

*

They hadn’t thought the homeless shelter thing through. Harley Stark and Spider-Man serving soup together to the homeless on Christmas Day quickly became one of the most retweeted pictures of all-time and somehow gave way to rumors circulating around the whole internet that Harley was dating the web slinging hero. He was, of course, but no one needed to know that and no one needed to know Spider-Man’s real identity either and this seemed to compromise both secrets. To combat this, Harley got Peter to take the Spider-Man outfit off and take a few selfies with him just as Peter Parker so the internet and everyone who knew Harley was dating Peter would see that it was just a coincidence Harley, his intern and Spider-Man were in the same place at the same time.

Harley and Peter’s Christmas selfie quickly added to the incessant rumors that they were dating as well, arguably an open secret by that point. 

The boys arrived back at Stark Tower in time for dinner at 1pm and were, as Harley predicted, sat across from one another which gave way to an intense game of footsie. Harley sat back and smiled as he watched Peter took into his Christmas dinner and make animated conversation with pretty much everyone; one of the many things Harley loved about Peter that often went unnoticed was how damn charismatic he was when he was in a good mood and how everyone around him seemed to flock to him with no effort. A happy and bubbly Peter Parker could easily command any room. And command the Avengers Christmas Dinner the boy did. 

“A word?” Tony asked Harley quietly, pulling him to one-side as Peter enthralled everyone with a story about when he and Ben went to the Grand Canyon. Harley nodded and followed. 

“All good?” he asked his father once they were out of earshot of everyone else.

“Peachy, just peachy” Tony replied, “Now, I’m about to ask you something and I really don’t want to fall out on Christmas Day which we will do if you lie to me and please remember I always know when you’re lying to me.”

Harley hid a smirk, thinking of at least half a dozen situations off the top of his head where Tony undeniably did not realize his son had lied to him.

“OK” he replied slowly, “What do you want to know?”

“I want to know, is your boyfriend is Spider-Man?” Tony asked

“Ahh, you saw the Tweets” Harley said with a fake nod, “No, Spider-Man is not my boyfriend. Peter Parker is my boyfriend. I am not cheating on Peter with Spider-Man.”

“Don’t bullshit me” Tony replied impatiently, “I am not asking whether Spider-Man is your boyfriend, I am asking whether Peter, your boyfriend, is Spider-Man?”

“Oh” Harley pretended to realize, “OK, well, in the case….yes, yes he is. But before you freak out please remember it’s Christmas and that I love Peter to death and if you make him feel bad for one second you will never hear from me again. I’ll move to a farm in Iowa, I’ll do it and you can watch your company slowly mold into a My Little Pony fever dream nightmare. Think about it.”

Tony, however, merely smiled.

“I knew it!” he exclaimed, “Rhodey owes me five dollars.”

“You bet on my boyfriend? Mom’s not gonna he happy about this.”

“Maybe not, wonder if she’ll be happy about her son dating a self-sacrificing vigilante who regularly throws himself off of skyscrapers.”

Harley paused.

“Stalemate?” he asked, offering his hand for his father to shake.

“Fine” Tony agreed, “But once Christmas is over, the four of us are sitting down and discussing Peter’s frankly ridiculous decision. I want to at least be able to keep him safe if he’s serious about this.”

Harley smiled.

“Thanks, Dad” he said softly. Tony rolled his eyes and pulled his son into a hug.

“Merry Christmas, kiddo” he sighed, “I sure do love you but maybe next year we can work on you not giving me weekly heart attacks.”

“I’ll try” Harley smirked before his father cast an arm around his shoulder and lead him back into the living room where everyone had gathered around the fireplace for a game of charades. Sam and Bucky were trying to act out something which didn’t look much like anything. Peter was laughing, sandwiched between Morgan and Pepper. Pepper moved over a little when Harley came over and squeezed himself back down next to Peter. 

“All good?” Peter asked quietly as he rested his head on Harley’s shoulder.

“Yeah, mostly” Harley replied, “There’s something we need to talk about but it can wait until tomorrow, I just hope you’ve had a good time.”

“The best” Peter yawned, “Pretty tired now, though.”

“Go to sleep on me, I don’t mind” Harley told him, “Can’t promise Clint’s dufus kids won’t draw something stupid on your face though.”

“Nah, wanna stay awake” Peter replied, “Pepper called May and she’s going to send Happy to pick her up once her shift’s over so she can come and spend the rest of the day and tomorrow with us. I wanna still be up when she arrives.”

Harley smiled and kissed Peter’s temple before shooting his mother an appreciative smile. She winked and gave his knee a squeeze before announcing that she and Tony would hands down be able to win the game of Charades without even trying. 

“They’re so cringy” Morgan whined, “You two are much cuter.”

“We are” Harley agreed with a yawn, “We’re the perfect couple.”

“Just a shame you’re ugly” Peter joked. 

“Have you seen yourself in the mirror of a morning, Parker?” Harley shot back. 

“Yeah, I look as flawless as ever” Peter replied with a grin, “And you, of course, look like sex on legs whatever time of the day it is.”

Harley grinned as Morgan pulled a face and focused on her parents once again. Peter smirked as he snuggled more and more into Harley’s personal space.

“OK, so, good day?” Harley asked, “I know we cried a lot, but they were happy tears, so?”

“Great day” Peter replied with a smile, “Best Christmas I’ve had in years, and it’s all down to you. Happy Christmas, Harley. I love you so much.”

“I love you as well darlin’” Harley yawned, “Merry Christmas, Peter. Thanks for being you. You’re the best person I know, also my Dad knows your Spider-Man guess we have to deal with that now.”

Peter, like Tony, merely smiled. 

“I guess it was only a matter of time” he yawned, “That said, I do think this improves your chances of having sex with Spider-Man greatly. There’s more at stake now.”

“How I ever thought you were sweet and innocent, Parker.”

“I’m cold, Stark, cuddle me.”

“Fine. I love you.”

“I love you more.”

“Oh we’re so not having that row again on Christmas Day.”

“Oh we so are-“

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THAT BECAUSE THE NEXT CHAPTER IS A SUPER ANGST, SUPER WHUMPY KIDNAP CHAPTER. HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT THIS YEAR. SEE YOU IN 2020!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Tony can’t just go charging in, even if he finds Harley” May reasoned, “There’s a chance that he might get hurt in the crossfire. They’re going to have no negotiate this one.”
> 
> “You don’t know Tony like I know Tony” Happy replied, “There is nothing he wouldn’t do for Harley, even if they do fight all the time. He’d harness the power of the Universe to save his kid. There’s nothing he won’t do.”
> 
> “Harley will-“
> 
> “CAN YOU BOTH PLEASE JUST SHUT UP!” Peter screamed, turning back to face them with tears flowing from his eyes, “Please? Please, I can’t take this. I-I c-can’t…Harley….he’s…”
> 
> May winced and moved over to Peter’s bed, taking his head and pulling it towards her chest, softly cooing him over and over as he cried. 
> 
> “I’m useless” Peter whimpered, “I’m totally fucking useless.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW in this chapter for sexual assault, kidnapping and physical assault.

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 19._

The Kidnapping of Harley Stark.

**Day 1: Harley**

Harley groaned as he woke up. His head hurt like he’d been dropped off of a cliff and he was immediately aware of just how cold it was….wherever he was. As he looked around his surroundings, Harley quickly became aware that he couldn’t move his hands or his legs and that there was a gag in his mouth that was preventing him from crying out. Panic rose in Harley’s chest as he began to struggle against his bonds but was unable to, he then caught sight of himself in the reflection of a glass pane at the side of the room and felt his heart drop.

His face was beaten to shit, the white wrap-around gag was red with blood and, worst of all, he was dressed only in his boxer shorts. Feeling a deep sense of dread gather in his stomach, Harley made a more concerted effort to get free of his binds but it was to no avail, the gag muffled his mouth too much for anything more than a slight whimper to escape his lips. Panting heavily, Harley looked around the room and wondered if there was anyway that anyone could feasibly break in to come and rescue him. The glass pane just lead into a dark corridor. Briefly, he thought it reminded him a lot of Hannibal Lecter’s cell from The Silence of the Lambs and made a mental note to tell Peter about it.

Oh god.

Peter.

He’d been with Peter. That was the last thing he remembered. It was more or less like the last time Harley had ended up bound, gagged and at the mercy of a group of men with less than stellar intentions. Walking home from a date, only this time Peter had been with him, Harley having been strictly forbidden from walking home on his own at night after the previous attempted kidnapping. That had, luckily, ended with Spider-Man turning up in the nick of time and webbing the dudes up but it had scared the family into insisting on Harley having extra security every time he left the tower. 

This, evidently, had turned out much differently.

They’d….they’d been walking home? 

From MJ’s!

Yes, they’d been at MJ’s for movie night. In Queens. They were walking back to the subway and then…what had happened then? Harley couldn’t remember. It had all just gone dark but Peter had definitely been with him. And where was he now?

Where was Peter?

What had they done to Peter?

Was he here as well?

Or was he back home, hating himself for letting Harley get kidnapped? Harley so badly wanted to find his boyfriend and tell him he wasn’t to blame. The tears came as he started thinking about Peter tearing himself apart with self-loathing. It broke his heart.

*

**Day 1: Peter**

Peter was tearing himself apart with self-loathing. He was so stupid. He was so god damn fucking stupid, no matter what Mr. Stark, May or MJ told him, he knew that at the end of the day it was him and only him who was responsible for Harley being abducted and kidnapped in the middle of the street. All they’d needed to do was get to the subway station and safely on a train, but apparently that was much too complicated for Peter to be able to do. He hated himself, god he hated himself.

“Easy there, baby, you need to rest up” May cooed as Peter tossed and turned in his hospital bed, “You need to keep your stitches intact honey.”

“Harley” Peter muttered. It seemed to be all he was able to say. “Harley.”

“He’s got the most capable people in the world looking for him, baby” May assured her nephew, “You just need to focus on getting better. We nearly lost you.”

Peter couldn’t bring himself to care. So what, if he’d been stabbed? That hardly mattered when god knows what was happening to Harley. He might even be dead. Everyone from May to Mr. Stark to the god damn news were theorizing that Harley would not be dead. He’d been taken for ransom, and the kidnappers would not likely kill him for that reason. They needed to show Harley was still alive.

Peter understood the theory, but it had been nearly twenty-four hours and there’d been no ransom note or any evidence released to say Harley hadn’t been killed the second they’d bundled him into a van and driven off whilst Peter bled out on the street floor. 

“Harley” he cried again, “May…..May, Harley’s gone.”

“Honey” May said sadly, “Don’t do this to yourself.”

“Can’t, May” Peter whimpered back, “Can’t lose him. Can’t lose Harley. Can’t lose anyone else I love.”

“You won’t my sweetheart, I promise” May replied and Peter was somewhat comforted by just how sure May seemed, “Harley will be found and it might take a while, but soon enough, things will get back to normal and you two can go back to being adorably in love.”

“Harley’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, May” Peter whispered, May leaned in closer so she could hear him, “He’s really nice and smart and funny and sexy and god, I love him, May. I love him so much and I can’t lose him.”

The flood gates opened and sobs poured out of Peter with no control. May took him in her arms and soothed him by running one hand through his hair and drawing circles on his back with the other, that had always helped Peter before but the magic trick didn’t seem to be in action now. There was no comforting Peter. He was wrecked. Broken. Lost. Full of self-hatred. 

“I’m sorry” Peter choked, “I’m so sorry. I should have saved him, I should have let them take me instead, I shouldn’t…”

“Honey, you did everything right” May replied and Peter could tell she was crying as well, “Harley will be back before you know it. I promise and I never break my promises, do I?” 

He shook his head. No. May never broke her promises. But something told Peter there would be a first time for everything.

*

**Day 2: Harley.**

“WHAT DO YOU WANT?” Harley screeched as soon as the gag was removed from his mouth, “WHERE AM I? WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH PETER?”

“I told you he was a mouthy little shit” one of the three men in his cell said, “Once he’s had a drink and something to eat I want that gag back on, pull it extra tight this time. I don’t even want to hear him whimper, y’hear me?”

He harshly slapped Harley across the face with his left hand, a ring cutting into Harley’s cheek and causing blood to pour out. Harley winced as the kidnapper than preceded to throw water in his face. Clearly being a demanding asshole wasn’t going to work here. 

“Where are my clothes?” Harley asked, “I’m freezing.”

“Had to cut ‘em off you” a second man said with a shrug, “You got hurt really bad when we took you, needed to sew you up.”

Confused, Harley glanced down and noticed for the first time that there were large bandages pressed against his right leg and his abdomen. Despite this, he couldn’t feel any pain there. It was then that he started to notice how woozy he was. 

“You stabbed me?” Harley groaned, “Not cool.”

“Not part of the plan, admittedly” the leader of the three men replied, “Your little boyfriend put up one hell of a fight and we had to prove him we were serious. Don’t worry yourself. We’re gonna rough you up, but we ain’t gonna kill you?”

“Are you ever going to let me go?” Harley asked. Rhodey had once told him that if he ever got kidnapped and the kidnappers allowed him to see their faces it was a sign that they were either a) probably going to kill him or b) were just stupid. Rhodey had not been allowed to tell Harley bedtime stories after that, but the advice had stuck with him, nonetheless.

These men were letting him see their faces. Harley hoped they were stupid.

“Once we get our money” the third man piped up for the first time, “Your parents will come through if they ever want to see you again.”

“And if they don’t?” Harley asked

“Then…well, it doesn’t end well for you, kid” ring-leader man shot back, “But don’t worry, once your father sees the pictures we’re about to post, he’ll pay up.”

“Pictures?” Harley asked with a gulp, “What pictures?”

“The ones we took of you while you were out” ring-leader replied, “You, beaten, bound, gagged, bloody, in your underwear. About as vulnerable as a person can be. No way your Dad’s gonna see that and not pay up within the next twenty-four hours….that is assuming, of course, he cares about you.”

Harley frowned, thought ‘fuck it’ and spat in the guys face. He merely sighed and struck Harley again with his ring hand.

“We’ve already added a hefty bunch of humiliation to this kidnap, kid” he snarled, “Don’t make it worse for yourself. Just sit there, keep on looking pretty and shut the hell up until we let you go. Be smart.”

*

**Day 2: Peter**

“NO!” he screamed as the TV stationed above his bed showed the haunting, vile images of Harley tied up like some animal on his television. He attempted to move out of his bed but the pain from his stitches stopped him and he fell into Happy’s arms and began sobbing again. 

“Jesus Christ” May whispered to herself once they’d gotten Peter back into bed and looked back up at the news report, “That poor boy. What the hell are they doing to him?”

Peter felt sick. This was worse than his parents. This was worse than Ben. They had Harley and they were just toying with him. Beating him, gagging him, and why the hell was he only in his underwear? Peter couldn’t bare the thought that they were doing….anything like that to him, especially knowing what Harley had been through with Erin and that other girl when he was a kid. 

It suddenly occurred to Peter that no one else knew about that but him and Harry. He couldn’t help but wonder if that was information Mr. & Mrs. Stark might need but that would surely only make them hate him more than they already did, neither of them had come to see him yet. Happy was sent to relay the odd message but for all Peter knew he was just making them up to make him feel better.

Peter turned and looked as he heard an emotional sniffle escape from the usually stoic and serious head of security’s lips. Happy Hogan silently wiped a tear away as he looked up at a boy he’d watched grow up since birth be humiliated in front of the world.

May grabbed his hand and squeezed it, and Happy seemed to pull himself back together.

Peter turned away from them and zoned out of the hearing the details of the news report. He’d been cooped up in a hospital bed since but he knew that Harley’s kidnapping had likely made news all around the world, which meant that the whole world knew Peter was a fuck up and blamed him for it.

“He’s going to be fine” Happy gulped, “He’s going to be fine. This is only going to make Tony work harder to get him back, they’ve made a mistake. They’ve got the ire of the whole world against them now. No one fucks with Harley Stark and gets away with it.”

“Tony can’t just go charging in, even if he finds Harley” May reasoned, “There’s a chance that he might get hurt in the crossfire. They’re going to have no negotiate this one.”

“You don’t know Tony like I know Tony” Happy replied, “There is nothing he wouldn’t do for Harley, even if they do fight all the time. He’d harness the power of the Universe to save his kid. There’s nothing he won’t do.”

“Harley will-“

“CAN YOU BOTH PLEASE JUST SHUT UP!” Peter screamed, turning back to face them with tears flowing from his eyes, “Please? Please, I can’t take this. I-I c-can’t…Harley….he’s…”

May winced and moved over to Peter’s bed, taking his head and pulling it towards her chest, softly cooing him over and over as he cried. 

“I’m useless” Peter whimpered, “I’m totally fucking useless.”

*

**Day 6: Harley**

It had been almost a week and Harley had never felt smaller. The whole world had seen him tied up like some animal, dressed in nothing but his Incredible Hulk boxers, beaten and bloodied. The image would stay with him forever. He’d never be free of it. It would be the first thing everyone around the world would think of whenever his name was mentioned, or whenever he stepped out in public. They’d pretend not to, but Harley would know. He’d know that all they’d be thinking of was the time he got kidnapped. 

The gag had been reapplied, so tight that Harley couldn’t even feel his lips anymore. It had been cleaned, thankfully, so he was no longer subjected to having to constantly taste his own blood in his mouth. He was still in his underwear but had at least been given a blanket to put around his shoulders. The ring-leader of the gang seemed to flit wildly between treating Harley no better than a stray dog and seemingly wanting him to be as comfortable as he could permit. It was confusing, but Harley was refusing to give in to their psychological games. 

They’d taken his dignity, but he was determined not to give them anything else, so he’d mostly shut off. He didn’t fight back anymore. He complied. He allowed them to remove his gag for food and water, happily took it (he was starving after all) and didn’t spit in anyone’s face. 

One of the men, whom Harley had learned was called Eli, seemed to be rather fond of Harley and seemed to go out his way to spend time with him. Eli seemed younger and weaker than the others, like he’d been dragged into this and didn’t mean to be involved in something that had gone so far. Harley wondered at first if they were using Eli as some kind of good cop to soften Harley up but the dude froze every time he was caught trying to talk to Eli without ring-leader’s permission and would scurry away. 

It was three days in that Harley realized Eli had a crush on him. 

“I know you like him” the second in command had said to Eli, “I see the way you look at him, it’s more than just guilt. You love him.”

“No” Eli protested, “It ain’t like that-“

“I won’t tell the boss” second in command replied, “He’d probably have you killed. I came into this on the assurance that no one dies, and that includes any of us.”

“I don’t love him” Eli replied, “He’s just….I dunno, I’ve got a crush, I guess? He always seems so nice and funny in the news.”

Harley had struggled with the information somewhat. Being tied up in the way he was, dressed how he was, with one of his abductors openly admitting to being attracted to him made the Stark heir feel all kinds of wrong. Red alarm central, as MJ would say. 

He’d tried not to think about Peter every minute of every day.

Which meant, he spent every minute of every day trying not to think of Peter. 

It was hard. 

He had to get out. He had to leave. Why hadn’t anyone come yet? It was the question that rested on everyone’s minds. Why hadn’t Tony either payed the money or come to get Harley himself yet? What was taking so long?

*

**Day 6: Peter.**

Peter had been moved to the MedBay at Stark Tower following a security concern at Queens General, eventually proven to be a false alarm. May seemed relieved with the move, Peter’s condition didn’t seem to be getting better in any hurry and Helen Cho and Bruce Banner were much more adapt at caring for Peter’s need anyway. They’d had no choice but to inform the Avengers that Peter was Spider-Man. May had pursed her lips in anger when she’d find out, and Peter knew he was in for one hell of a lecture from her when this was all over. 

“It is confusing that his healing factor hasn’t sorted this out by now” Bruce agreed with May when she broached the subject that evening, “I would have expected Peter to have been up and about by now, but it’s like his healing factor has been blocked by something.”

“It may be an emotional response” Dr. Cho reasoned, “We’ve never researched anything like this before, Steve was a different case. Peter’s been in a lot of emotional distress since Harley was abducted, maybe that’s affecting his ability to heal?”

“Can you stop talking about me like I’m not here” Peter snapped, “I just want to get better and help Mr. Stark and the others find Harley.”

He was a bit more with it now. His despair had slowly turned into determination and Peter was now insistent on being able to join in on the search efforts to find Harley. He wasn’t going down without a fight. No one else seemed to share this point of view, however. 

“We know, hun, but you’re not well enough yet” May said softly, “You’re still in a lot of pain and having trouble moving about, you’re not ready for a rescue mission.”

“Why hasn’t Tony gone yet?” Peter asked, “It’s been almost a week, the ransom was posted three days ago, surely it can’t be taking them that long to trace where the post came from?”

“I dunno, pal” Bruce sighed, “All I can say is that Harley has been taken north of the border. It’s harder for FRIDAY to track internationally. Tony’s doing everything he can, believe me.”

“Sorry” Peter muttered, feeling bad, “I didn’t mean to imply he isn’t. I just hate sitting here, waiting and being useless. I just want Harley back.”

“We all do” Dr. Cho replied with a sad smile, “We’re all missing him. We all love him, it’s not just you.”

Peter curled in on himself a bit, feeling selfish. Who was he to center himself in Harley’s kidnapping when he was the one to blame for it? When he was the one who knew Harley for the least amount of time? Harley had two loving parents, a little sister who adored him and a whole group of kick-ass people who had known and loved him all of his life. Peter was just the boyfriend. The useless boyfriend who hadn’t been able to see him.

“Get your rest, honey” May said sweetly, “Pepper and Morgan are going to come and see you tomorrow, you slept through the last time they came down.”

“They were here?” Peter asked, his heart skipping a beat. 

“Of course they did” Bruce replied with a smile, “They’ve been worried sick about you. We all have. Especially Tony.”

*

**Day 9: Harley**

Eli was sitting near him again, and Harley couldn’t shake the feeling he was being mentally undressed, he only wished he could pull the blanket over his chest but his wrists were bound. The gag was still in his mouth and his ankles had also been bound after he’d tried to kick out at ring-leader the previous day. Harley’s stoic approach had long gone out of the window, he was sick of being kidnapped and had decided that if no one was coming for him, he’d fight his way out of it.

A nasty smack across the face had been enough to remind Harley that acting aggressively was not going to get him what he wanted. He needed to find a middle ground.

Eli was that middle ground. The thought of it made Harley feel dirty and gross, but the more Eli looked at him with hungry eyes, the more Harley felt like flirting his way out of the kidnapping might actually be a valid method. 

So, he turned to Eli and put on his best desperate expression. Eli sighed and moved closer to him.

“Leg hurting you again?” he muttered, “Only had a look at it a few hours back.”

Harley shook his head.

“Gag” he tried to say through the device. 

“Your gag?” Eli shot back, looking confused, “You want me to take your gag off? Why?”

Harley rolled his eyes; Eli was very quickly proving he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box either. Eli finally seemed to catch up and quickly took the gag from around Harley’s mouth.

“Need to talk to someone or I feel like I’m going to go crazy” Harley said, attempting to make his voice sound breezy and slightly flirtatious and feeling utterly sick at just how easy it came to him, “Seems like you’re the only one around here worth even trying to talk to.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere” Eli replied with a smile, “They’re out at the moment. Food run. It’s just me and you for the time being.”

Harley smiled to himself as he noticed a key chain sticking out of Eli’s back pocket. He wondered if they were making this too easy for him on purpose but he was going to take his chance regardless, even if it involved having to degrade himself a little to do it.

“I see you looking at me” Harley said softly, pressing his face close to Eli’s and almost smirking when the guy seemed to catch his breath, “Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“I, err-“ Eli replied, “Have to…y’know, stand guard.”

“How’d you get into this?” Harley asked, “You can’t be that much older than me. How the hell did you wind up here?”

“Need money” Eli replied weakly, “Mom’s ill. No money in Nebraska, had to come to New York.”

“Sorry to hear that” Harley said back, “No offence but most people who come to New York needing money tend to….I dunno, wait tables or something? They don’t kidnap teenagers.”

“You’re not ordinary teenager” Eli shuddered, “You’re Harley Stark.”

“True” Harley said with a wink, he hated himself for it, “It’s a shame you went down this path, Eli. You’re cute, maybe in another life, we could have met and become friends. I could have even…I dunno, maybe we could have stood a chance.”

“I…you really think that?” Eli asked, “Don’t you have a….boyfriend?”

“Yep” Harley said quickly. He really couldn’t afford to lose his control thinking about Peter now. He prayed that Peter would understand what he doing, that he wouldn’t see it as a betrayal. Harley had no other choice. 

“Ain’t he gonna be…y’know, missing you?” Eli carried on, “Cos…cos he seemed like he was going to fight us till the death when we took you. Seems like he loves ya a lot.”

“He does” Harley replied softly, “And I miss him too. But being here…with you, I dunno, somehow Peter doesn’t seem as important to me. Too far away, maybe.”

Eli shook his head.

“I’m not stupid, Stark” he said, trying his best to sound menacing, “You’re taking advantage of the fact I’m attracted to you to get me to let you go. Not gonna happen. They’ll kill me.”

“I can protect you” Harley replied, “If you let me go, I can make sure that you get taken somewhere safe and they’ll never find you. I can get money to your Mom. You could solve all your problems, I know you don’t want to be here, I know you don’t want to do this, Eli.”

“How’d you know my name?” Eli asked.

“Overheard” Harley shrugged, “Something else to consider, I can identify you by name. Only you. I don’t know what the other two are called. When I get out of here, and I will get out of here believe me, you’re the only one I can easily identify. D’you trust them not to throw you under the bus?”

Eli gulped; Harley tried not to smirk. 

“Even if I did let you go-“

“Don’t think about the ifs” Harley said softly but firmly, “I’ll worry about everything else. Dude, I just need you to untie my wrists and my ankles. Maybe get me some clothes, but that’s not as important. This doesn’t have to be the end for you. You’re still young, you can have a life.”

“Harley…I’ll do it” Eli replied and Harley breathed the biggest sigh of relief, “But…before I do, d’you think you could….maybe…could you…kiss me?”

Harley almost laughed out loud. How had he ever been scared of Eli? He was pathetic. The most pathetic creature Harley had ever come across. At least the two other goons just wanted him for his money, from the way he was acting Harley wouldn’t have been surprised if Eli had only gone along with the kidnapping because he knew Harley was the target and…bafflingly, thought it was somehow a shot for them to get close?

But Harley was still bound, half-naked and running out of time. Did he really have a choice? 

“OK” he gulped, “You can kiss me.”

Eli leaned in and they kissed for a few seconds until he started work on untying the Stark heir. Harley had never felt more satisfied kicking someone in the balls once he’d finally been let free. 

“That meant nothing to me” he snarled at Eli as he pinned him against the wall, “I might as well have been making out with my own hand. You disgust me, Eli. But I ain’t gonna leave you here at their mercy, find me something to wear and then we’re both getting the hell out of here but let’s make one thing clear, I’ve been trained how to fight by Black Widow, Captain America and Iron Man. I know how to handle myself and you better believe I won’t hesitate to snap your fucking neck if I need to.”

Eli gulped and tears spilled from his eyes, Harley almost felt sorry for him. 

“I’m sorry” he choked, “I’m sorry for everything, Harley.”

“You know what you did to me classes as assault, right?” Harley snapped, “I was tied up, vulnerable and the only way I could get out of it was if I let you kiss me. That’s assault. I didn’t want to kiss you. I didn’t deserve to have that happen to me. I didn’t deserve any of this and I don’t know your mother but I bet she’s going to be so ashamed of you when she reads what a scumbag her son is in the papers.”

“Let me go get you some clothes” Eli whimpered, Harley relented and let him go. The boy scurried away and Harley picked up a small knife that had been left in the corner earlier in the day, he still didn’t totally trust that Eli was completely on his side but at least he was untied and had a way of defending himself now. 

Eli returned after a minute with a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie for Harley to wear. The heir was overjoyed not to be in just his underwear anymore after over a week. 

“How do we get to the town without being spotted?” Harley asked, “And this better not be any kind of double-cross Eli, because I can and will kill you.”

“We’ll have to be quick, avoid the roads” Eli replied, “They’ll be driving back so we’ll have to go through the streams, are you OK walking?”

“No other vehicles then?” Harley sighed.

“A jeep, but I can’t drive” Eli confessed, blushing.

For the first time in nearly two weeks, Harley fell about laughing. He clutched his stomach and doubled over as Eli frowned.

“Fucking hell, you really are the worst kidnapper ever” he wheezed, “They got someone who hasn’t even got his fucking permit yet. Jesus. I feel bad it took me this long to get you to let me out.”

“So-so, you’ll drive?” Eli asked shyly

“Yes, dickwad” Harley said as he rolled his eyes, “I’ll drive. And remember to consider yourself very lucky that I’m even bringing you with me. If you hadn’t told me about your poor mother, who deserves so much fucking better by the way, I’d have left you tied up in that corner.”

Eli nodded.

“And when we get into town?” he asked, “What then?”

“Dunno” Harley shrugged, “I’ll have to leave that one to the police, won’t I?”

*

**Day 9: Peter**

“Hey kiddo”

Peter groaned and turned in his bed to see Tony Stark sitting next to him, looking broken and exhausted, but blessed with a light that Peter was not expecting the man to have under the circumstances. Maybe this was just how real heroes dealt with things like this, and Peter was not a real hero under any means. 

“Hey, Mr. Stark” Peter wheezed back, “I’d ask how you are but…”

“Harley’s back” Tony said bluntly and Peter gasped as he felt his heart skip a beat, “He’s a little beat up and beyond traumatized, but he saved himself and Helen’s taking a look at him in the next room. I believe after that he is scheduled for an all-night cuddle with his Mom and sister but he’s gonna come and see you tomorrow, OK?”

Peter nodded. The tears flowed and he didn’t even feel ashamed of the fact he was crying in front of Iron Man. Tony seemed to understand, squeezing Peter’s hand and kissing him on the forehead.

“How-how did he do it?” Peter asked

“I’ll let Harley tell you that one himself” Tony replied, “The press are on strict instructions not to reveal Harley’s back home until they’ve rounded up everyone involved in the abduction. Two of the guys escaped from the farm where they were holding him.”

Peter nodded. That seemed fair. 

“Mr. Stark” he had to ask, “You-you hate me, don’t you? Cos I was the one who-“

“No, and you stop that right now” Tony snapped, “I’ve seen the CCTV footage Pete and you were putting up one hell of a fight. If that little one hadn’t stabbed you, you’d have saved Harley no doubt, but you had a punctured organ kid. You nearly didn’t make it.”

“I know that, but it was still my fault” Peter said sadly, “I’m strong. I’m Spider-Man, I should have been able to save him. I should, Mr. Stark, and don’t say I shouldn’t because that’s the entire reason I do what I do and I failed. Spectacularly.”

“We all fail sometimes, kiddo” Tony sighed, “It’s part of the job. But I’m not mad. You fought for Harley and I know if you’d have recovered quicker, you’d have been gearing up to go and rescue him with the rest of us this afternoon. Not that anyone had to. Damn kid managed to save himself through his wits alone. I’ve never been so damn proud.”

“I’m proud of him as well” Peter said with a smile, “When you see him, will you tell him that I love him and I’m sorry?”

“I’ll tell him you love him” Tony replied firmly, “But I’m not telling him you’re sorry. I need Harls to focus on recovery, he’s been through a hell of an experience, and he’s not going to get better if you’re apologizing for it every two minutes. He needs you, but he needs you to be strong and to just…to just, hold him and make him feel safe. That’s what I need you to do for me, Pete. Can you?”

“Of course” Peter sighed, “I want to hold him and never let him go.”

“Get in line kid” Tony smirked, ruffling Peter’s hair before leaving the room.

*

**Day 10: Harley & Peter.**

Peter awoke to find a pair of strong arms reached across his chest. Smiling, he turned around to see Harley laying down on his other side, facing him.

“Morning gorgeous” Harley said with a beautiful smile on his face as Peter choked back a sob and stroked his face, checking to see if it was really him, “Sorry for not waking you up when I got in here, you just looked so sweet sleeping like that.”

“I’m just-Harley, I can’t even begin to describe how happy I am to see you” Peter sobbed, moving so Harley could rest on his chest, “You’re….god, Harley. I knew I loved you before but this was something else. My atoms missed you.”

“Ditto” Harley muttered, “And I know my Dad’s already said this, but I ain’t having you blame yourself for all of this, it wasn’t your fault and I’d rather blame the greedy assholes who did it. Can you promise me you’re not going to beat yourself up anymore?”

“I promise” Peter replied, meaning it. Harley needed to recover and Peter was determined to do whatever he had to in order to make sure that happened. 

“There’s something I need to tell you” Harley muttered, sounding ashamed, “When I was there…there was this guy, who, well he liked me…”

“Oh god, Harley” Peter cried, the image of Harley all tied up in his underwear flooding back into his mind and piercing it, “Please, tell me – he didn’t-“

“No, god no, not that” Harley assured him, “He was….kind of pathetic really, I think he ended up being more scared of me than anything else. Well, anyway. He had a crush on me. Made it pretty clear that if I kissed him he’d…he’d untie me so-“

“So you kissed him” Peter replied with a sad smile as Harley cried and nodded his head.

“I cheated on you” Harley whimpered, “I kissed him. Well, I let him kiss me. I let him stick his tongue down my throat just so he’d untie me. You…you don’t…please tell me…”

“You did what you had to do” Peter told him, feeling absolutely no sense of anger or betrayal whatsoever, “I’m just sorry it came to that.”

“I feel dirty” Harley confessed, “I feel used and dirty and like I’m just some kind of object. I overheard Wanda talking to Sam earlier and she was saying that…that photo of me, it’s been found on porn sites and all sorts, like I don’t even matter.”

“You do” Peter assured him, “You do matter. You matter to everyone in your life. Everyone’s disgusted by what happened to you.”

“I whored myself out, Peter” Harley sobbed, “Whichever way you look at it, I traded in my own body for the sake of…”

“Of being freed from kidnappers!” Peter said angrily, though none of it was directed at Harley, “Harley, that’s not whoring yourself out, that’s making a decision that was awful and dehumanizing but it was your best shot at getting out of there.”

“I hate being me” Harley continued to cry, “I hate feeling like I’m the world’s property. I hate the people feel like they can just take me and use me to get at my Dad, or to get something from him. I hate it, Peter. I just want to be normal.”

“Then we’ll be normal, together” Peter said determined, “I’ll talk to your Dad. You have your lake house upstate right? We’ll go there. Just the two of us, plus necessary security. Away from the outside world. Just me and you, working through this, getting you better, waiting until the world moves on to its next crisis and it will, Harley.”

“I’d like that” Harley whimpered, pulling himself impossibly closer to Peter, “I was thinking…maybe I should tell my parents about…y’know.”

Peter sighed.

“Only if you’re sure” he replied, “Harley, you’re in so much pain right now, I don’t want you adding to it by telling your parents something like that before you’re ready.”

“There’s never a right thing to tell your parents something like that” Harley stated.

“True, but that also means there’s never really a wrong time” Peter reasoned, “And I don’t see why you’d rush into it now, but if that’s your choice-“

“I’m not sure” Harley said shakily, “I just-there’s so much going on, Peter. I just want it all to end. I just want to be happy again.”

“You will be” Peter promised him, “I promise you; you will be. Parker’s don’t break their promises.” 

Harley smiled.

“I love you” he said softly, “I really love you, Peter. You’re incredible. You’re the best person I’ve ever know and everyday I have to pinch myself because I can’t believe that someone like you wants someone like me.”

“Harley, I say the same thing to myself” Peter laughed, “Maybe your Mom’s right. Maybe we both do need therapy. We definitely need to start thinking better of ourselves, in fact, I’m going to insist that from now on the both of us work damn hard on being kinder to ourselves.”

“Easier said than done” Harley sighed, “But agreed. I’m just….scared and sad at the moment, and I want you to tell me if I get too much or-I just, I’m really gonna need you, Pete.”

“And you have me” Peter sighed, “God, Harls, you have me. For the rest of our lives, if you want. You have me.”

“I do want that” Harley muttered, “I really want that….I…that’s what I want, more than anything. I just want to be with you forever….erm, maybe…no…no, that’s stupid.”

“What’s stupid?” Peter asked.

“I was going to ask you to marry me” Harley laughed, “Which is ridiculous, I-“

“Yes, I will” Peter replied quickly, causing Harley to bolt up in bed, “I will marry you.”

“Peter, that-I mean, of course I want that” he said, shocked, “But-“

“I’m not saying we book a church tomorrow” Peter said with a smirk, “I’m not even sure either of us really believe in marriage, but I think we’re both looking for a sign that the other is in this for good. This is mine, to you. If you asked me to marry you, I would. You’re mine and I’m yours, for life, Harls. Nothing is going to tear us apart ever again.”

Harley nodded.

“Never again” he agreed, “And that month at the lake house sounds like a dream.”

“You’ll be OK, Harls” Peter whispered softly into his boyfriend’s ear, “You will be.”

“Promise?”

“Of course I do.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope everyone had a nice Christmas!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I love you” Peter yawned.
> 
> “Love you too” Harley yawned back.
> 
> “That made me happy” Peter smiled, “So happy.”
> 
> “Me too” Harley said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR! This is my favourite chapter yet!

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 20._

Picking Up The Broken Pieces.

Harley awoke with a jolt for the ninth night in a row. It had been less than three weeks since he’d been kidnapped and then escaped, enough time in the boy’s mind to have recovered and to have stopped waking up in a sweat every night but it didn’t seem to be letting up. Breathlessly, Harley took in his surroundings and saw that Peter was still sleeping angelically next to him and that he was still in the safety and comfort of the lake house. 

But what if Morgan wasn’t?

It had just been a dream, he knew that, but it had seemed so real. The same dream every night. Him and Morgan. Taken together, no one coming to rescue them and Morgan would always end up getting hurt or dying because Harley simply was not good enough to protect his little sister. In the rare dreams where she didn’t die, it was his dad or Peter who swooped in and rescued them, never Harley. He wasn’t like them. He was no hero. 

Quietly, Harley got himself out of bed and cautiously walked down the hall towards Morgan’s bedroom. There had been an unfortunate incident a few nights before when following the same pattern, Harley had accidentally woken his little sister and terrified the life out of her. She’d apparently been struggling with nightmares over being kidnapped since Harley had been taken as well, information which only stood to make Harley feel worse than he already did.

Stupid. No good. Weak. A failure. The worst big brother in the world. The worst son. The worst boyfriend. He saw it, he saw the looks of exhaustion in their eyes whenever one of them inevitably ended up sitting up the whole night with him whilst his body was racked with sobs from the trauma. He tried so hard to fight it but nothing seemed to be working. Maybe this was the way things were going to be from now on. Harley was broken. He’d never be put back together.

Careful not to wake Harry, who had insisted on coming even if it meant sleeping on the sofa for god knows how many days now, Harley persisted and picked up his pace as his anxiety erupted. He was taking too long, if they had Morgan they’d be gone by now and there’d be nothing he could do to save her. He had to save her. He had to save her. He had to-

…See her, tucked up in bed with her Thor doll gripped tightly under her arm as she was every night. 

He was an idiot. Every night. Every night, the same damn thing. His dad had upped their security levels to an insane degree since the kidnapping, and they’d already been pretty over the top before. Harley felt like a fool and started to openly cry as he looked at his little sister’s sleeping body.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grasped him. But Harley did not panic. These were safe hands. These were the only pair of hands in the world that felt safe. These were Peter’s hands. Harley turned and faced his boyfriend, bleary eyed and yawning as he rubbed sleep out of his pupils, but who still managed to give Harley a soft and encouraging smile. Harley’s heart swelled, knowing that he loved Peter more than he’d ever be able to express with words.

“Babe” Peter said sadly, resting his head on Harley’s shoulder, “Oh, Harley.”

“I’m sorry” Harley choked, “I didn’t mean to wake you up, I-I, well…y’know. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize” Peter replied, quietly closing Morgan’s bedroom door and leading Harley by his hand back into the living room where Harry was now sitting up and waiting. He moved over and allowed Peter and Harley to scoot under his blanket. Harley was placed in the middle of his boyfriend and his best friend, feeling about as secure as he could manage in his scary new reality.

“I’m sorry” he repeated, “I’m being a total pain in the ass.”

“Harley, you’re more than capable of being a total pain in the ass” Harry replied, “As your best friend of twelve years, I know that more than anyone. But. This isn’t being a pain in the ass. This is you dealing with one of the worst things that can happen to a person.”

“Doesn’t mean my behaviour isn’t annoying though” Harley huffed, “I mean, I don’t think you guys have had a full night sleep since we got here. It isn’t fair.”

“And what happened to you isn’t fair” Peter sighed, “Babe, me losing a little bit of sleep in no way compares to what you went through.”

“They barely touched me” Harley murmured.

“No, but they still terrorized you” Peter snapped, “That guy forced you to kiss him before he untied you, you said yourself that’s sexual assault. And you didn’t know they were all a bunch of morons, did ya? Far as you knew they could have turned on you at any second and killed you. That’s a hell of a thing to go through.”

“I just hate this” Harley cried, resting his head on Peter’s shoulder as Harry squeezed his hand, “I just want to get better. I want to stop having nightmares every night, I want to stop second guessing everyone’s movements and jumping at the slightest noise.”

But most of all Harley just wanted to stop feeling dirty. No one spoke about it, but they all knew the picture distributed of Harley in his bindings by his kidnappers had blown up online and had become a meme for people to express their distaste at the wealth through. Not to mention it’s apparent prevalence on a lot of pornography sites. It was humiliating and knowing how many people there were in the world who saw him as nothing more than a slab of meat, someone who’s suffering could be turned into a meme, made Harley feel physically sick.

He just wondered what he could have ever done to have deserved such treatment.

He felt the need to shower constantly. Touching Peter or being touched by Peter in any sexual manner was out of the question. It wasn’t that Harley suddenly felt repelled or disgusted by the idea of sex, it was just that…well, what would Harley having sex prove? That he was exactly what everyone thought he was. Dirty.

Harley didn’t want to be dirty. He wanted to be clean but he never would be, not now. 

“You’ll get there, Harls” Peter said softly, “I promise you; you’ll get there and I’ll be with you every step of the way. We all will.”

And that was the part that killed Harley more than anything else. Peter would stay with for as long as it took, putting his life on hold just for Harley and he couldn’t stand it. The guilt was killing him. Peter deserved to be able to lead his life to the fullest without being dragged down by Harley. Peter was a genius. Kind and selfless beyond belief. It wouldn’t just be cruel towards Peter if he was held back by Harley, he’d be depriving the whole world of him too.

He had to let Peter go. He had to let Peter go.

*

“Harley, I don’t understand-“

“I said, I’m breaking up with you” Harley cried back, dumping Peter’s clothes into an open suitcase whilst his boyfriend sobbed and held himself in a corner, “I don’t want to be with you anymore. I can’t be with you anymore. It’s too fucked up, it’s all too fucked up.”

“Harley, please, think about this” Peter begged, stepping forward and clutching Harley’s arm, “I love you; I love you and you love me. We’re Peter and Harley. We’re indestructible, you said that yourself, we’ll be together forever. You asked me to marry you!”

“I was wrong!” Harley yelled, “I was wrong about all of it. We’re not indestructible Peter, we’re just as vulnerable as any other couple in the world. Staying together…..it’s wrong, us together is wrong. You need to leave and I need to get on with my life.”

“No, I’m not fucking having this” Peter cried, turning over the suitcase and tipping his packed clothes all over the floor, “We have been through way too much together for me to just sit back and let you do this. I love you, Harley. I love you so-so much that it scares me. To my bones. But I don’t care because having you, being with you, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I know you’re hurting right now and I know you’re scared but-“

“Don’t say it” Harley snapped, “Don’t say that I’m going to get better Peter, cos I’m not. This is who I am now. I’m fucked. I’m fucked up and I-I can’t be in a relationship. I can’t drag someone down to my level, especially not someone as brilliant and kind as you. It’s not fair, Peter.”

Peter sighed and made a move towards Harley, taking his boyfriend’s hand and placing it on his chest. Harley winced a little but allowed the movement to happen anyway. 

“Please stop for a second and just listen to me” Peter said softly, “Harley, I have lost so many people in my life. My parents. My uncle. D’you think this shit is easy for me? D’you think I don’t wake up every morning and panic that you’ve left me somehow whilst I was sleeping? That I have to contact May somehow on the hour, every hour, just to make sure she hasn’t gone as well? Love is hard. It’s scary and it’s terrifying and it’d be so easy for me run away, cut you off and never speak to you again to save me from being hurt when you leave me-“

“Peter, I would never leave you-“

“Then why are you packing my bags?” Peter asked, “I’ll tell you why. Because you’re scared. You’re freaked out and you’ve convinced yourself that I’m going to get sick of looking after you and leave you, so you’re doing it first. I get it. I’ve been here before a million times. Cut yourself off and they can’t hurt you, it’s the oldest trick in the traumatized teenagers handbook. I should know, I wrote the damn thing.”

“It’s not just that, though” Harley sighed, “I just…I’m not getting any better, Peter. And you’re exhausted. I can see it in your eyes. Every day, I’m taking just a little bit more of your life away by forcing you to stay with me and it isn’t fair. It’s selfish, why should I get to-“

“Because I love you” Peter cried, “Because I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything before in my whole entire life. Harley, god, I’m not here with you because I feel I have to be. I’m here because I want to be, I want to help you, I want to be with you. I’d be going out of my mind if I was back home without you.”

“I’m sorry” Harley choked, shaking his head and pressing his hands into his eyes, feeling his knees start to give out beneath him, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry Peter. I love you. I still want you-I still want you to be here, please don’t leave me.”

And with that, Harley’s trembling knees gave way and he slumped to his bedroom floor. Peter caught him and cradled him in his arms as a waterfall of tears began to escape from his eyes. Peter kissed him on the top of his head and ran a comforting hand through Harley’s hair as he sobbed. 

“I’m not leaving you” Peter said quietly, “I’m never leaving you. I love you so much, Harley, I love you so much.”

“The pictures” Harley sobbed, “What about the pictures.”

Peter sighed. He, of course, knew what Harley was referring too.

“Your parents are working day and night to remove any trace of them online” Peter replied, “We didn’t say anything because…well, clearly this was a wrong move but we didn’t want to upset you by bringing them up. We should’ve-I should’ve, I’m sorry.”

“Dirty” Harley muttered, “I-I feel so dirty, Peter.”

“You’re not dirty, Harley” Peter replied softly, kissing Harley’s head once again, “Those pictures don’t define who you are. What Erin and that other girl did to you doesn’t define who you are. The only thing that does that is you. And you are kind. And brave. And brilliant. The world’s just full of idiots who are too dumb, immature or insensitive to think about what they’re doing.”

Harley smiled and sat up, looking at Peter through his tear stained eyes and shivering. How the hell did he deserve someone as good as Peter Parker loving him? Surely, Harley couldn’t be all bad if someone as earnestly and truly good as Peter was able to see some kind of value in him? 

“I’m sorry I tried to break up with you” he said quietly, “I didn’t mean it. You were right. I’m scared, Peter, I’m so fucking scared. All the time. I’m worried that it’s only going to be a matter of time until you see me for what I really am and bolt.”

“Harley, unless there’s something you’re not telling me, I know everything there is to know” Peter replied with a sigh, “Your deepest, darkest secret isn’t your fault. It’s something someone else did to you and despite that, you are still a beautiful and kind person. I’m never going anywhere.”

“Today’s been bad” Harley whimpered, deflecting Peter’s kind words, “I’m sorry I cried on you.”

“I’ve cried on you enough times” Peter shrugged, “Harley, at some point, I’m going to need you to realize that relationships are a two-way street. You’re perfectly entitled to want me to give you the same things you give me.”

“And what do I give you?” Harley asked miserably. 

“You give me love and security” Peter smiled as he replied, “You give me somewhere I know I can turn to and find comfort when I need it. Someone I can tell anything at all and I know he’ll listen and appreciate me for it. Someone I can laugh with. Cry with. Have sex in the shower with. I get all that from you, so it’s not out of the question for you to get all that from me in return. OK?”

Tears streamed down Harley’s face again as he nodded, Peter kissing him on the cheek before they stood up and cleaned the mess around them.

*

They sat next to one another at the dinner table, hand in hand. Peter knew that Tony, Pepper, Harry, Morgan and Happy had all likely heard Harley’s very loud attempts at a break-up earlier in the day but were all astute enough not to bring it up. They just talked about the business of the day, careful to avoid any mention of the fact that Harley was still the number one news story across the world and focused on what they were going to watch for family move night later on.

Harley was still tense through dinner, Peter had noticed an increased levels of anxiety in him whenever they were in a room with more than three people, and it saddened him that Harley’s own family were apparently no exception to that. Harry was proving to be the welcome tonic they all needed. At first, Peter had been a little confused and miffed when Harry turned up at the lake house with a bag slung over his shoulder announcing his intentions of staying until Harley was all patched up and better. But within hours, it was clear to see why Harry had felt the need to turn up.

Harry was an expert at keeping everyone else distracted. He would talk animatedly to Tony about science and gadgets, to Pepper about business, to Happy about boxing and to Morgan about whatever fixation the youngster happened to have that day. All this gave Peter time to focus in on Harley. That wasn’t to say that Tony and Pepper were ignoring their son but they were also in the midst of managing a media circus around the case and so couldn’t dedicate as much time to Harley as they would have liked. Peter felt especially bad for Pepper, whom he had overheard crying to herself on the toilet more than a few times. 

Dinner that night was burgers, cooked by Happy on a new-fangled grill that had taken him and James Rhodes most of the afternoon to set up. Different Avengers were making a habit of popping in and out every day, ostensibly on business related matters, but everyone knew they were really there to check in on how Harley was doing. Peter had hoped this would encourage Harley to see how loved he was but it sadly only seemed to add to his anxiety and feelings of obligation to pretend he was OK and getting better in front of anyone who wasn’t Peter or Harry.

Thankfully, following the morning’s events, Harley’s façade seemed to have been dropped by dinner and he clung to Peter like a life line. 

“Bad day, honey?” Pepper asked pointedly once dinner started to be cleared up. Peter had tried to get up to help as he did every night but no one would hear any thought of him helping with housework. 

“Yeah, I did something dumb” Harley muttered, “I tried to break-up with Peter.”

“Oh” Pepper said and Peter knew she was feigning surprise, “Oh, honey, why? Did you guys have a fight?”

“No, I-I err, it’s complicated” Harley replied tearfully, “I wanted to break up with Peter so that he could be free to get back to the city and move on with his own life. Cos I don’t wanna hold him back.”

“Right” Pepper nodded, fighting back tears, “And I’m guessing by the fact that he’s still sitting right next to you, that you two are not broken up.”

“He talked me ‘round” Harley said quietly, “Said really nice things. Made me realize he loves me for real, for real. But….but I can’t lie to you guys anymore Mom, I’m not OK. I’m scared all the time and I’m worried you’re all going to get bored of me and leave.”

Peter smiled sadly and squeezed Harley’s hand as Pepper sighed and pulled her son into a hug and kissed the top of his head.

“Thank you for telling me, honey” Pepper cried, “That was a big step and I’m the one who should be sorry, we should have been paying more attention to you. We’ll-we’ll get you help, Harls. Therapy. Whatever you want. Maybe Sam if you want someone you know.”

“Maybe” Harley murmured, clearly content just to be hugged, “Maybe soon. I love you.”

“I love you too, angel” Pepper said softly back as she kissed his head again and released him from the hug, Harley almost immediately latching straight back on to Peter as he sat himself back down. Morgan came through a few seconds later with a little notebook, demanding everyone’s desert orders and then filed back to Harry and Tony in the kitchen.

“How’s she doing?” Harley asked, “With her nightmares?”

“Better” Pepper replied slowly, “Last night was the first night without once since you got back, we’re taking that as a big positive. And you….I heard you moving about again last night, I would’ve come to you but by that time Harry and Peter were already with you. I could hear.”

“That’s good” Harley smiled sadly, “Just wish you could say the same for me.”

“No one’s expecting you to be over it this quickly, Harls” Pepper replied, “Hell, it took your Dad years to get over what happened to him in Afghanistan. I’m surprised you haven’t reached out to talk to him about it yet, he understands how you’ll feel better than I do.”

Harley shook his head. Peter was curious, having been wondering the same thing for a number of days now. 

“We don’t-we don’t-I can’t talk to him about that” Harley stuttered, “Mom, that was the worst thing that ever happened to this family. I remember every second of it. I hated it. I can’t-the fear, the-the-the…”

“Breathe, babe, breathe” Peter encouraged him quietly.

“Hearing my dad went through the same thing in no way helps me” Harley shook, “All it’ll do is make him re-live the worst thing that ever happened to him. I can’t put him through that.”

“You underestimate your Dad, Harls” Pepper replied softly, “I can’t force you to talk to him but I do think it would help you. I think it would help you both.”

With that, Pepper gave the boys a smile before standing up and heading into the kitchen. Harley rested his head on Peter’s shoulder.

“D’you think I should talk to him?” Harley asked.

“I think you need to do what’s right for you” Peter replied, “If that’s talking to your Dad, then do it. If it’s only going to make you think of bad stuff, then don’t.”

“He-he won’t be upset will he?” Harley asked again, “Maybe he thinks that-“

“Harley, babe, you don’t need to worry about what anyone else thinks” Peter said softly but firmly, “I’m sure your Dad isn’t hurt, but even if he is, this is about you. Not him. You don’t need to constantly please everyone else, just think of yourself from time to time.”

“Pot kettle” Harley smirked. Peter smirked back and kissed him on the lips. The first time he had done so since Harley got back. Peter almost apologised but was cut off by Harley grabbing his collar and pulling him back in for one more. 

*

Five days later and Harley could feel the clouds lifting more and more every day. The nightmares were still there, though much less intense and Harley had managed two nights without any, but only because Peter was beside him whilst he slept. They tried one night with Harley in a bed on his own and Peter in the guest room but that had all gone wrong within two hours. 

As well as the slowing down of his night terrors, Harley was slowly finding himself more at ease with larger numbers of people, no longer just confined to interacting with his parents, Peter, Morgan and Harry and no one else. More of the team came to stay and soon enough, Harley was finding himself itching to get back to New York and see more of his friends. 

The images had all but vanished from the internet and Stark Industries had published a very stern announcement stating their intent to pursue legal action against anyone who had shared the image, given that it was technically child pornography. As for the dirty thing, Harley was still working on that and he was quickly coming to the conclusion that there was one way he could maybe stop seeing sex as a negative thing. 

It was an especially hard feeling for him to ignore as he sat on the shore of the lake and watched Peter engage in a (shirtless) push up competition with Harry. Peter looked like an angel and Harley was enjoying every second of taking in the view of his boyfriend, until a fatherly hand clapped down on his shoulder and Harley jolted in surprise.

“Afternoon, kiddo” Tony said, whipping a pair of sunglasses off his face and sitting down in the sand next to Harley, “Me and you need to have a talk.”

“Do we?” Harley asked, “What about?”

“Stuff” Tony replied with a shrug, “Your mom mentioned something about a therapist when we get back to New York. Maybe Sam. I just want to say I think it’s a really good idea.”

“You do?” Harley replied, “You don’t think it makes me….weak.”

“I would never think that” Tony said with an intense certainty that almost made Harley wince, “For one thing, I don’t think I’d be here today without the power of a decent therapist. I’m the biggest therapy advocate you’re ever going to find. Secondly, you are the strongest person I know. Without question.”

“But you-“

“Yes, my best friends are all superheroes” Tony smirked, “And yes, I know your mother. You’re stronger than all of them. You are not weak. You’re going through a hard time, that doesn’t make you weak.”

“Thanks” Harley muttered with a sigh, “I don’t believe you, but thanks.”

“I’m sorry we don’t talk more, kid” Tony carried on, “Partly my fault. My old man messed up my views on feelings pretty bad. I can talk to a therapist but not my own kid. Figures.”

“You’re good at talking” Harley replied quietly, “Well, you could be better but I…well, I’ve always known I could come and talk to you about anything if I needed to.”

“Do you?” Tony asked genuinely, “That’s good, I guess. Means I haven’t totally failed as a parent.”

“And I know you love me” Harley carried on, “I’ve never doubted that. Not for one second. Even when I stole your jet and you told me I was a hard person to love sometimes, I still knew you loved me.”

“I don’t relish what I said there” Tony sighed, “But I’m glad you were able to cut through the bullshit and….oh, god damn it Harley, this is exactly what I meant. I sat down here with the intention of comforting you and look where we’ve ended up. You assuring me.”

“So?” Harley asked

“So?” Tony repeated, “Harley, son, you don’t even realize how wonderful you are, do you? There’s so much kindness in you that it just….happens, you don’t even realize you’re doing it. Always thinking of other. Always thinking of how to make sure everyone around is happy and knows their values. God, how did I end up with such a wonderful kid?”

“I’m not that great” Harley sniffed, feeling a little tearful.

“You are kid” Tony said with confidence, grasping Harley’s knee, “You really are.”

Just at that moment, a sweaty and shirtless Peter arrived in front of the two Stark men and planted a kiss on Harley’s lips before announcing he was heading inside for a shower. Harry was now distracted by playing with Morgan and Pepper in the lake. 

“Good kid, Peter” Tony said as he watched Harley watch his boyfriend run inside, “You two are a perfect match for one another. Everything I just said about you applies to him as well. Definitely the best intern hiring decision we ever made.”

“Fuck, I forgot he’s still technically an intern” Harley smirked, “Ehhh, he does enough.”

“He sure does” Tony said fondly, “I mean, I kinda knew it before but the last week or so has really proven it to me, it’s real love between you two, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, yeah it is” Harley said with a nod, “He’s…Dad, he’s incredible. I can’t even describe how I feel about him. All I have to do is think about him and my chest gets all tight and fuck-I just really, really love him Dad and I think he really, really loves me too.”

“He does” Tony said happily, “Just the way he looks at you. He’s smitten. We love him, too. Me and your Mom. And Morgan. And even Happy’s kinda fond of him now, which is big. He’s one of the family.”

“You love him?” Harley asked, somewhat incredulously 

“Of course I do” Tony replied, “He loves you and he makes you happy, so I have to love him. It’s one of those unconditional love for your kids things that you can’t help. One of the nicer ones, admittedly. Anyone you love and who genuinely loves you, well, I can’t help but love him too. He makes you happy. And there’s nothing I value above that. Not even cheeseburgers.”

Harley smiled and rolled over to his Dad, accepting a hug and kiss on the head. 

“I love you, Dad” he said softly.

“I love you too, son” Tony replied with a laugh, “Now, please go inside and have sex with your boyfriend in the shower, I can spot love when I see it but I can also spot sexual frustration to an insane degree.”

Harley cringed. He knew his Dad only partly meant that and obviously he hadn’t really told Tony any of his current anxieties around sex just yet, but there was something in his father’s cringey acknowledgement of the fact he and Peter were sleeping together that somehow became the final thing Harley needed to hear before making his decision. 

Wordlessly, Harley got himself up from the shore and headed back inside. He could already hear the shower hammering away in his En suite bathroom and ran up the stairs towards his bedroom. Harley smiled to himself as he could hear Peter humming a tune to himself in the shower and slowly began to remove his clothing and stepped into the bathroom.

He was nervous, obviously, but he never felt safer when he was with Peter and sex required him to be vulnerable and slightly needy. Peter wouldn’t care if he flinched or moved away from any touch, Peter wouldn’t care if the opposite happened and they ended up fucking from mid-afternoon until the early hours of the morning, Peter would only care that Harley was happy and on the road to recovery. Of course, having sex wasn’t the be all and end all to recovery but it also wasn’t nothing. It required Harley to be open and vulnerable and just….himself. Things his ordeal had made him terrified of being. Things he now knew he could be, as long as he was with Peter.

They were also both still teenage boys and as frustrated as dogs on heat.

Smirking, Harley opened the door the shower and smiled as Peter turned around and shot him a wink.

“Hey” his boyfriend said quietly, “Care to join me?”

Harley smiled and hopped in the shower. They shut the door and lost themselves in one another for the first time in almost two months.

No regrets.

Once it was over, they lay panting on Harley’s bed in one another’s clothing. Harley liked wearing Peter’s clothes because they smelled of him, even if they were a bit too small for Harley’s taller and broader frame, whilst Peter enjoyed wearing Harley’s because they engulfed him and made him feel cozy. Peter was cuddled up to Harley’s chest and their hands were joined on his torso.

“I love you” Peter yawned.

“Love you too” Harley yawned back.

“That made me happy” Peter smiled, “So happy.”

“Me too” Harley said.

He looked down at Peter and was sure it was impossible to love anyone more than he loved him. It was potent. It was thrilling. It was scary. But it was also real, and Harley wanted to shout it from the rooftops. He wanted everyone to know how much he was in love with Peter Benjamin Parker.

“Tell the world” Peter said softly, as if he could read Harley’s mind, “I think it’s time. I’m bored of hiding too. I want the whole world to know how I feel about you.”

“OK, babe” Harley sighed happily, “Let’s break the Internet.”

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH, I just really loved this one guys. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know what you thought od it down below, I'm really proud of it. And social media is back! Yay! 
> 
> Some good Peter angst in store for a change next chapter. 
> 
> Thanks again,  
Jamie  
xxxx


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No can do, babe, it’s a Wednesday” Peter replied with a smile, “Me and May time. Maybe we could go tomorrow, Friday or at the weekend?”
> 
> Harley’s face fell and he looked a little hurt.
> 
> “You’ve forgotten” he sighed.
> 
> “Forgotten what?” Peter asked.
> 
> “Wow….you’re not even playing dumb with me?” now Harley sounded genuinely hurt, “This isn’t you pretending to forget, you’ve actually forgotten it’s my birthday!”

**Off The Rails.**

_Chapter 21._

An Honest Mistake.

Peter’s favourite night of the week was undoubtedly Wednesday. An odd choice, maybe, but it just so happened to be the only night of the week where his and May’s schedules coincided with them both being in the apartment and free to have a meal together. Peter felt bad that between Harley, Spider-Man duties and school, he and his aunt had not really touched base with each other all that much. He sensed that May felt equally as guilty over her busy schedule as well and so they both made the effort to be there on Wednesday night, just the two of them and talk everything through just like the old days.

Today was Wednesday.

Peter smiled at the end of his school day as he packed his text books into his locker. For the first time in a very long time, he didn’t feel he had anything much to worry about. Since going public with his and Harley’s relationship, Peter had been surprised by just how accepting and kind the world had been towards them. He had the odd spiteful comment from some insecure teenager who felt Peter had stolen away their one true love in Harley, but that was about it. Even the more conservative media outlets had at the very least just simply ignored them.

School was going great; his grades were up and college selections were just around the corner. He’d received a letter from M.I.T a few weeks earlier that had all but said he and Harley were both pretty much guaranteed a slot as long as their applications were in on time. Peter’s biggest worry was therefore actually making sure Harley got his in by the deadline date. Flash had largely back off, Ned and Betty had got together, MJ was her usual chill self and Harley was the cherry on top of the cake. The one element of Peter’s life that elevated it from good to great.

“Hey, I thought we could go and see a movie tonight” Harley said as he approached Peter at his locker. Peter smiled and kissed him quickly, having to stand up on his tip toes to reach as Harley had just recently gone through (what Peter hoped was his final) something of a growth spurt.

“No can do, babe, it’s a Wednesday” Peter replied with a smile, “Me and May time. Maybe we could go tomorrow, Friday or at the weekend?”

Harley’s face fell and he looked a little hurt.

“You’ve forgotten” he sighed.

“Forgotten what?” Peter asked.

“Wow….you’re not even playing dumb with me?” now Harley sounded genuinely hurt, “This isn’t you pretending to forget, you’ve actually forgotten it’s my birthday!”

Peter felt as if the ground had fallen out from under his feet and he was floating listlessly amongst the rest of the Universe. Harley’s birthday. It was Harley’s birthday and he’d forgotten.

“Wait, no, your birthday is-“

“On the twelfth and today’s the twelfth” Harley sighed as he raised his eyebrows, “I know we said we were going to keep it low key this year, but I didn’t think it’d be so lowkey you’d actually forget it was even happening.”

Peter wanted to scream. He ran a hand down his face and was fully prepared to fling himself at his boyfriends feet and beg for mercy from now until the moment one of them died.

“I am so sorry” a now tearful Peter replied, resting against his locker and slumping to the floor, “Oh my god, Harley…after everything you, and I-you must hate me.”

“Impossible” Harley replied with a sad smile before flopping down on to the floor next to Peter and allowing him to rest his head on his shoulders, “Peter, don’t beat yourself up about this, please. Life has been crazy lately. My birthday is hardly going to be top of your priority list.”

“But it should be though!” Peter exclaimed, “You’re more important to me than any of that other crap, I should’ve remembered. As if you’d ever forget mine! I’m so, so, so sorry Harls. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

“Peter, please don’t work yourself up” Harley said patiently, “I’m the boy who already has everything anyway, all I want is to be able to spend time with you. Cos you…y’know, make me happier than anyone ever has or will do in the future. All I want is you.”

Peter smiled and kissed Harley on the cheek. He was working on allowing himself to feel more deserving of love from everyone around him so he wanted to fully embrace what Harley was saying to him, but it was hard when he knew how badly he had fucked up. Harley deserved so much better than a boyfriend who was too busy and forgetful to remember his birthday.

“You don’t hate me, then?” he asked softly

“I could never hate you” Harley replied, “But in the interest of being as honest with one another as we can be, I am a little hurt. But it’s fine. It’s only a birthday.”

“Yeah, but it’s your first birthday since we’ve been together” Peter sighed, “I should have put in some effort to make it really special. Especially after everything you went through with the kidnapping and what happened at that party. You deserve something really special.”

“We still have time” Harley reasoned with a shrug, “Birthday’s not over yet.”

“I can’t cancel on May” Peter whimpered, “I’m sorry Harley, but I can’t. I never see her anymore and I miss her so much, there’s no way I can cancel dinner with her. I’m sorry.”

“Peter, did I ask you to?” Harley asked, “No, I didn’t. I know how important those dinners are to both of you and I would never expect you to cancel your plans with her just for me. But maybe we could find a solution that works for everyone?”

Peter nodded. After a few minutes of sitting in contented silence, Harley whispering assurances in Peter’s ear until his breathing levels returned to normal, Peter texted May and explained the situation to her and was relieved when she said she’d be delighted if Harley joined them for dinner.

“You see?” Harley said softly as he pressed his forehead against Peter’s, “There’s always a simple solution for problems like these. They’re never the catastrophic things your head makes them out to be. This is a win, win for everyone.”

“And we can do something just the two of us at the weekend” Peter replied, his mind running a million miles an hour trying to think of something to do, “Maybe we could do like Steve and Bucky and have sex on the Coney Island Ferris wheel at three in the morning.”

“Damn” Harley said with a smirk, “I really did corrupt your innocent ass, didn’t I?”

Peter grinned and pulled him in for a filthy kiss. How he ever got so lucky he didn’t know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a bit shorter but I've done nearly all I want to do with this story now so there's a few more chapters left before we leave Harley and Peter for a little while. I'll definitely end up coming back to them at some point but I need a few months to figure out what I'm going to do with this little universe. Hope you all enjoyed the shorter chapter anyway.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ll come to dinner” Harley muttered. Pepper stopped in her tracks, blinked. Harley frowned. If she wanted him to come to dinner, why didn’t she just say?
> 
> “Really?” she asked.
> 
> “Hungry” he said with a shrug, “Stomach hurts.”
> 
> “You haven’t eaten in four days, baby”
> 
> “Oh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOOOO......it's been a while. I'll be honest, I was very close to just abandoning this for good. I'd lost complete inspiration and was focused on other fics. I never really wanted to leave this in limbo but it was what was happening until about a week ago when I started to get more regular questions about when I was planning on updating, how much people wanted more, and I figured I should have found a way.
> 
> Basically, I just needed an inspiration springboard for what to do with these characters. The thing I ended up coming up with was just shuffling Spotify and writing an entry that fitted thematically with whatever song I'd landed on. This just so happens to have started as being based on Harry Styles' Falling but ended up in a place where it didn't really reflect the actual meaning of the song. But it was what I needed. A jumping off point to kickstart my creative brain juices and it's left me wanting to do it more often. So yay!
> 
> The chapter is heavy, I must warn you. I've really put Harley through the ringer in this story and I feel bad about that but I also don't and everyone seems to constantly whump Peter (myself included, check my fic Into The Unknown if you want an example of that) so I figure why can't it be Harley's turn for once? I am by no means any kind of therapist or trained mental health professional but I did want to explore Harley's mental health a bit more indepth here so there's probably inaccuracies abound. 
> 
> Specific warnings for disassocation, depression and disordered eating.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 22._

“Oh.”

Harley didn’t know when the change happened. It was like something clicked in his brain one day and he was a totally different person. He’d always craved and acted out for attention, desperate to be the center of everyone’s universe in good ways and bad, but it was like all of a sudden he just couldn’t face the rest of the world. Maybe it was the left over trauma from his kidnapping, maybe it was all a symptom of his new found therapy sessions to deal with the sexual abuse he’d encountered when he was twelve (_exploited, _that’s what he’d been told had happened to him) or maybe he was always this cracked and it was just showing itself now.

Getting out of bed was unthinkable, let alone bathing or keeping to a regular eating pattern. He was losing weight, fading away before everyone’s eyes, and he heard their pleas for him to snap out of it but he just _couldn’t._ And his parents tried their best, they really did, but Harley was falling away a little bit more every day.

“Stop telling me I’ve been through this myself” he heard Tony snap at Pepper one day, another hushed conversation about him in another dark corner, “It was never like this. After New York, I was in a bad place but I still functioned Pep. Too much, arguably. I never….I never wasted away like Harley’s doing.”

“I’m sorry” Harley’s mothers tearful reply came; Harley could remember a time when the sound of his mother’s tears would have brought a tsunami of feelings crashing down on his chest but now…nothing. He didn’t even blink, “I know what you’re saying but someone has to be able to help him, Tony. Our son is _dying _in there.”

“I know” was all the reply Tony could muster. And yet, Harley just stay sat in bed, looking around his all too familiar bedroom and wondering when everything turned so grey. With a sigh, he reached over to his bedside cabinet and took his anti-depressants. Harry blamed the pills. Theorized that they’d knocked all of the regular feelings out of Harley and replaced them with the numbness. Harry was kind and wonderful and one of the few remaining bright sparks in Harley’s life but he was no amateur psychiatrist. Harley knew it wasn’t the pills, it was him.

He wouldn’t even be on the pills if he was alright, would he?

“Everyone’s worried about you kiddo” Rhodey’s voice came from Harley’s doorway. Huh. It was night time now, Harley could have sworn it was the middle of the day. But what was another few lost hours at this point. Rhodey looked blinkered, worn out and exasperated as he came and sat on the edge of Harley’s bed and rested a hand on his knee, “You know we all love you, right?”

“Yeah” Harley said with a nod, “I know.”

That was the thing, he did. He knew that he was loved. By his parents and his sister and all of his various heroic aunts and uncles, but it made no difference. He was still numb. He couldn’t even say for sure if he loved them back anymore. It had been so long since he’d felt anything.

“I don’t like seeing you like this, reminds me too much of your old man at one point in time” Rhodey sighed heavily, “I know you’ve been through a lot in the last year, Harls, and it’s bound to have had an affect on you…..just, please, don’t get too lost in your mind. We all miss you.”

Harley nodded again. He heard his god father’s words. He understood what they meant, he even got why the people who were feeling them felt them, but he couldn’t return the feeling. He couldn’t promise to try and get better. He barely had the drive to even lift his heard off of the pillow and do his god father the common courtesy of eye contact.

It was all too much.

He just stared. He wasn’t sure how long it was even for this time; the next thing Harley knew it was light again and his mother was pacing up and down his bedroom in a fit of fury.

“And where’s the breaking point, Harley?” she was asking, screaming, “Where does this all end? You are going to die, do you hear me, if you carry on like this you are going to _die. _If you don’t come out and eat dinner I am literally going to have Steve hold you down and get your father to-“

“I’ll come to dinner” Harley muttered. Pepper stopped in her tracks, blinked. Harley frowned. If she wanted him to come to dinner, why didn’t she just say?

“Really?” she asked.

“Hungry” he said with a shrug, “Stomach hurts.”

“You haven’t eaten in _four _days, baby”

"Oh.”

He could have sworn it was yesterday afternoon that he’d eaten that apple Morgan had brought for him, and then refused to leave his room until he’d eaten it.

Cautiously, Harley got to his feet and stumbled a little. Walking. What a concept. Gently putting one foot in front of the other, Harley approached his mother and allowed her to guide him out of his bedroom and into the kitchen where Tony, Morgan, Rhodey and Happy were all sitting around a Chinese takeout.

“Saturday” Harley noted, “It’s Saturday, we always have family takeout on a Saturday.”

“Yeah, we do, bud” Tony replied with a smile, “It’s good to see you out and about.”

“OK” Harley said with what he’d hoped was a smile, “I’ll err-are there any noodles?”

“Oh yeah, loads” Happy said eagerly as he decanted some food from his own plate onto a clean one from Harley and passed it over to the teenager as if it was a game of hot potato, “Like your pap says, it’s really nice to see you here.”

"I’m proud of you, son” Rhodey said from the opposite end of the table, “And Peter’s going to be so proud of you too.”

“Peter” Harley repeated, his heart picking up its pace a little at the sound of his boyfriends name, “When did…when did Peter last come over?”

“Baby, he was with you all day” Pepper said with a frown, “Honey, he only left an hour ago. Happy picked up the takeout on his way back from dropping Peter back off with his aunt…do you, do you not remember him being with you?”

Harley shook his head. “Oh” was all he could seem to say again, but then he just started eating his noodles.

“He’s always with you, kid” Tony sighed, “This is the first time he’s gone home in a week…”

*

Peter arrived back at Stark Tower the next morning, looking heavy hearted but over the moon at the same time when he found out that Harley had ventured out of his room and eaten a full meal with his family. It wasn’t a big one, granted, but it may as well have been the feeding of the five thousand as far as Peter Parker was concerned.

“He didn’t even remember you being with him” Pepper told him tearfully, “He asked where you were and we had to tell him you’d just left. He didn’t even register that you’d been sat with him all day.”

“OK” Peter breathed back, “That’s-well, it’s not fine but it’s-understandable. Given the circumstances, if my hunch is correct.”

“Hunch?” Pepper asked.

“He’s disassociating, Pep” Peter replied, “You know what I’m like, if I can’t find the answers I research my ass off until I can find them. I think Harley’s got some kind of dissociative disorder. You’d have to get him diagnosed by someone official, of course, but the symptoms matched. Seems like it’s teaming up with his depression something hard core.”

“OK” Pepper replied tearfully, squeezing Peter’s hand, “God, I wish I was as good at dealing with all this mental health stuff as you are, kid.”

“No one handles these things totally correctly” Peter said with a shrug, “We both love him, but it’s a different kind of love. He’s my boyfriend. I’m more practical with my love. Harley wasting away is something that breaks my heart, but it’s tangible, I can fix it. But he’s your son. You’ve got that whole mama bear, baby cub thing going on and May always says there’s nothing worse for a mama bear than when her baby cub is in pain and it’s cruel cos the mama bear just ends up focusing in on the fact their cub is in pain, and the way to find a solution to the pain kinda gets lost in the mix…”

Pepper smiled.

“You’re so very wise for your years, Peter” she sighed, “And that’s….yeah, that’s exactly how I feel. You hit the nail on the head.”

“We all have our part to play” he said comfortingly, “You’ve got another baby to focus on as well. I know how rough this has been on Morgan. I know how much she loves her big brother. Let me take Harley today, go and spend some quality time with your little girl.”

“I just feel like we’re leaving all of the heavy lifting to you” Pepper said, “I feel so guilty about it but with Tony caught up in this lawsuit against the Government for mutant rights and the industry still having to tick over…”

“Pepper, I’d tell you if I felt overwhelmed” Peter assured her, “To be honest, I love Harley so much that I’d quite happily spend the rest of my life holding him, but you guys need your time too. That’s why I went home and didn’t crash family dinner night, you need time for just you guys. So Harley knows that he always has options and doesn’t have to rely on one person for everything.”

“And your aunt, she-“

“She gets it” Peter said with a weight behind his words that sent chills down Pepper’s spine, “She gets it more than you’ll ever know.”

*

“Peter?”

“Yes, Harley.”

“How long have you been here?” Harley asked. Peter chuckled.

“About four hours” Peter replied.

“Oh” Harley said quietly, “I thought you’d only just got here. Is it night time now?”

“Nah, it’s only four in the afternoon” Peter said with a smile, “I came in, we ate our Subway takeout together, and then we lay down on your bed and we haven’t moved since.”

“Oh” Harley repeated, “Yeah…the err, the sandwhich was good.”

“Can’t go wrong with Subway” Peter said softly.

“I haven’t been eating” Harley said matter-of-fact, “I scared Mom but all she needed to do was ask me if I wanted any food, cos I did, I’m not….y’know, I don’t have an eating disorder.”

“I know” Peter said with a nod, “But we did offer you food, Harley. You just didn’t reply.”

“Oh” Harley said with a frown, “I don’t remember.”

“That’s OK” Peter said.

“I keep losing time” Harley sighed, “One minute it’s day and the next minute it’s night and I don’t know how long I’ve just been sitting and staring.”

“Don’t worry about it” Peter assured him, “I’ve got Ben’s watch on, so we’ll never lose the time when I’m around and it’s extra special cos it’s from Ben. He’s looking out for us, from wherever he is.”

“Ben’s your Uncle” Harley said, as if he was trying to remind himself, “And you love him and miss him and he’s the most important person in the world to you after Aunt May.”

Peter smiled.

“So close to being right, but you forgot one thing” he teased, bopping Harley’s nose with his pinky finger, “You forget you! It goes you, then Aunt May and Uncle Ben are joint second. Ned’s third but don’t tell MJ that cos she’ll kill me.”

“Am I important?” Harley asked.

“Of course you are!” Peter exclaimed, “Why else would I be here with you all day every day?”

“What about school?”

“We’re on summer break now, Harls.”

“Oh” Harley said again, “When….how long…when did April end? When you forgot my birthday?”

Peter winced. That wasn’t exactly his favourite memory and he couldn’t separate the fact that less than a week after that was when Harley had first started falling again. As if his boyfriend forgetting his birthday was the straw that broke the camels back, one disappointment and hardship too many in a year that had really kicked the poor kids butt.

“You’re crying” Harley noted again, “Are you upset?”

“No, I’m being stupid” Peter sniffled a little, “I’m just-I know you’re not you right now Harley and I’m trying so hard to be strong for you and your family but I just need you to know how loved you are. Not just by me. By everyone. But I-gosh, Harley. I _love _you, like I really fucking love you.”

Harley pursed his lips and Peter wanted to kick himself for his moment of self-indulgent weakness. He knew that conversations about love and feelings were far beyond Harley’s capacity at the moment. And so, his boyfriend merely replied with what seemed to be his new favorite word.

“Oh.”

“Did you think I didn’t?” Peter asked.

“I don’t know” Harley replied slowly, “I’ve changed, I’m different now. I do know that much and you loved the me from before. Not the me now.”

“You’re still the same” Peter said affectionately, pushing back some of Harley’s blonde curls which had drooped down into his eyes, “You’re still the same Harley Stark I fell head over heels in love with. You’re just-“

“Crazy now, or whatever” Harley said, “Not myself, anyway. Not the Harley you really love.”

Peter sighed and managed a smile.

“This will pass you know” Peter said, “The first month and a half after Ben died May was exactly like you are now. She didn’t eat or sleep or even exist really, she just sat and stared too. Like she was constantly lost inside her own head. And I did with her what I’m doing with you now.”

“What’s that?” Harley asked.

“Being there” Peter replied with a sad smile, “Squeezing her hand every so often to remind her that I was here, I was alive and so was she. And I’m going to do the same for you, Harley. You never have to worry about me going away because I’ll be right here, every day, reminding you that you are real and you are so, so, so loved.”

Harley nodded. Peter could tell his boyfriend wanted to believe it but no longer knew how to let himself have any faith.

“I’m empty” he said stoically, “I don’t have a heart anymore, Peter.”

“Oh you do, yes you do” Peter said emphatically as he scooched closer to Harley and pressed himself into his boyfriend’s chest, where his heart lay beating, “You have the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met, Harley. You are boundlessly kind. Even now, you’re so kind and wonderful that it kind of disarms me. You’re lost in yourself and yet you still smile when you see me, let me know I’m loved, lay here with me and let me hold you.”

“It’s not real” Harley moaned, “None of it’s real, I-I do those things because I know that’s-Peter, I don’t even know if I love you anymore. I don’t know if I can even feel it.”

Peter winced. This was the clincher.

“But do you want to, Harley?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” Harley replied.

“Do you want to love me?” Peter repeated, “We can still want the things we can’t feel. You might not be able to feel it right now but do you still want it? Do you still want to love me?”

Harley blinked, then frowned.

“Of course I do” he said, “I didn’t lose my memory, Peter. I remember how things used to be between us and how happy you made me but it’s like there’s some….something stopping me from being able to actually feel it like I used to. Like a block or something. There’s something wrong with me.”

“But you’re fighting it” Peter assured him, “You might not think you are, but you are. Every second of every day whilst you’re still breathing. Letting me come and be with you, going to eat dinner with your family last night, it’s all apart of your brain fighting to get you up and running again. Because you’re not lost, Harley, you’re still in there. There’s just….things in the way.”

“I want them to be gone” Harley confessed, “I miss you and holding you and loving you and it’s the same for everyone else. I miss feeling excited when Morgan showed me her latest drawing. I miss feeling proud of myself for making Mom proud of me, even if I didn’t do it very often. I even miss fighting with Dad and getting really overdramatic about stuff that didn’t matter.”

Peter smiled and leaned forward, gently kissing Harley on the lips.

“See? You’re still in there” he said encouragingly, “You know what you want and you know you want to fight for it.”

“But I don’t _feel _it” Harley went on, “I want those things because I know I should.”

“So, what do you want?” Peter asked, “Right now? What do you really, really want?”

“To be dead” Harley confessed and Peter almost gasped but managed to stop himself, “Well, I dunno, maybe I don’t want it but I just think….why shouldn’t I be? What am I doing? What am I achieving by existing anymore? I used to-I used to know that I had a purpose because people used to say I made them happy, but I don’t make people happy now. I just make them worry and sad.”

“Harley” Peter said seriously, “Please, please tell me that you would never-“

“No” Harley shook his head, “I would never. It would be…it would be, bad, to do that. I know that. It would really upset you.”

“That is the understatement of the century” Peter almost chuckled.

“I never want you to be upset” Harley said as he grabbed Peter’s hand and squeezed it, “You being sad is the worst thing in the world. I always want you to be happy. Even now, that’s something I know for sure. You being happy is a good thing. Because you’re sunshine, and sunshine should always be happy. I want you to be happy all the time, Peter.”

Peter smiled.

“D’you know why you feel the way, Harley?” he asked.

Harley studied him for a second and then…did he? Surely not? Peter had to check twice but yes, for the first time in three months, Peter saw a smile etched across his boyfriends beautiful handsome face.

“Because I love you” Harley said and then giggled. He fucking _giggled. _“Because I….I love you, Peter. I know I do. I’m looking at you now and I’m….I feel that, Peter. I do. I love you. I love you. Oh my god, I love you!”

“Harley, you have no idea how nice it is to hear you _laugh_” Peter said, wiping happy tears away from his eyes as Harley continued to stare him in awe, “Fuck, I’ve missed it. My favourite sound in the world.”

Harley sighed and scooched closer to Peter. Slowly, he arched his arm around Peter’s back and drew his boyfriend in even impossibly closer to him. They shared a quick kiss before Peter cast his arm around Harley’s shoulder and allowed his boyfriend’s head to rest on his chest.

“I’m sorry” Harley mumbled, “I’m sorry for saying I didn’t love you. I do Peter. That’s one thing I’m always going to be sure of but I’m not….I don’t, the rest of it-“

“Don’t worry about that” Peter said proudly, “We can work on that together. We have all the time in the world, I promise you.”

“You’re my world” Harley said softly, resting his eyes.

He was asleep minutes later and Peter kissed his temple. Harley stirred happily in his sleep and Peter felt as if the moment was absolutely perfect.

There was a long road ahead, but Peter knew that as long as they stuck together, he and Harley were unbreakable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, please leave your thoughts down below and I'll hopefully see you soon!
> 
> Much love,  
Jamie.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don’t be sad” Harley said quietly, pleadingly once again, entirely unaware that he was shattering his poor father’s heart for the third time in less than fifteen minutes, “I don’t want you to be sad, I don’t want anyone to be sad because of me.”
> 
> “Baby, we love you” Tony replied, “Of course, we’re sad. We see you suffering every day and it breaks out hearts but the thing you need to remember is, that’s not your fault. It’s just one of those things about life that sucks.”
> 
> “That’s why I need to be happy again” Harley sighed, “So you can all be.”
> 
> “Oh, Harley” Tony said, “That’s not how you should be looking at this, honey. You should be getting better because it’s what’s best for you, not everyone else. You don’t always have to think about other people, sometimes it’s alright to be a little bit selfish.”
> 
> “Peter” Harley merely replied with his boyfriend’s name, “Peter, where’s Peter? I want Peter to come back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOOO....this is just as heavy as the previous chapter but now I also have to leave a TW regarding discussions of sexual abuse and exploitation.
> 
> This is the last really heavy chapter for the moment though, the next one is much more fluffy and focused on Harley's recovery and that will take us to the end of the three part mental health arc I've now planned out.
> 
> You'll notice I've incoorporated some current worldwide events into this story, so enjoy that.
> 
> FLUFFY ISOLATION/QURRANTINE CHAPTERS AWAIT.

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 23._

Walk Through Fire For You.

Tony Stark sighed as he looked over the skyline of New York City. It was 10pm on a Friday night and the enigmatic billionaire had had yet another stress filled day consisting of meetings with lawyers, more meeting with lawyers, dealing with how the Avengers were meant to be helping with the fucking _global pandemic _that was turning the world on its head, his daughter coughing up sick at school and needing to be picked up earlier and then a very important, very stressful call with Nick Fury.

And that was without mentioning Harley.

The welfare of his son was the thing that was playing on Tony’s mind more than anything else, yet Harley himself seemed to be getting anything about his father’s attention. Tony knew this and hated himself for it. But it was a hard balance to strike and Tony knew that, whatever happened, at the very least Harley was safe from any external harm when he was cooped up in his bedroom all day. The poor kid had had a rough year and Tony couldn’t exactly blame him for shutting himself away and withdrawing from the world for a little while.

That’s why he’d stopped anyone really checking in on Harley for the first few weeks, despite Harley’s boyfriend Peter insisting that there was something really very wrong with him. Tony had just assumed that his son was taking some time out but it wasn’t until the third week of Harley’s isolation when the boy had appeared from his bedroom – arms drooped, cheeks pale, thinner than Tony had ever seen him and Harley had always been skinny – that the damage became clear. The kid wasn’t just shutting himself away, he was sick. And Tony had refused to get him help.

It weighed on his mind constantly, despite everyone from Pepper to Natasha to Nick Fury to the fucking President of the United States assuring him that it wasn’t fault. Harley was wasting away in front of them all and it was all his fault. Tony had always said that he didn’t want kids because he’d been terrified that he would just repeat the mistakes his father had made with him. He wanted to break the cycle of shame and yeah, he’d never once raised a hand to his son but really….was this any better?

Harley was broken, and Tony had blown his sons final pieces apart.

It had been a long day and so Tony had retreated to the top of the tower to gather his thoughts and give everyone a break from his bad mood. He’d snapped at Pepper and Rhodey over dinner and hadn’t put very much effort at all into reading a crying and poorly Morgan her bedtime story. He hadn’t even been able to bring himself to check in on Harley.

Speaking of which, Tony’s attention was drawn to the sound of the heavy door leading to the roof opened and Tony caught his breath as he watched his son make his second venture out of his room in as many days. Ever since the first time Harley had been placed in his arms when he’d been born, Tony had been blown away by just how much he loved his son. They hadn’t always seen eye to eye since Harley became a teenager but as Tony watched his son, his cracked boy, making tentative steps towards him with guidance from Peter Parker’s arms around his shoulders he felt struck down by that same sense of love. It always threatened to knock him off his feet and tonight was no exception.

Harley. His boy. His little boy. His _baby boy _was _fighting._ The teenager was trembling and gripping on to his boyfriend’s hand as if his life depended on it and sure, the kid was doing something as objectively easy as taking a walk outside but it meant the world to Tony.

He gave both boys a weak smile as they reached him. Peter returned it, but Harley didn’t. That was OK. It had been a while since Tony had seen Harley properly smile and it broke his heart but his boy was out of his room. He was out of his room and he was outside, no less.

“Hey pop” Harley mumbled as he and Peter came to a stop next to Tony.

“Hey” Tony replied, trying his best not so openly sob, “What brings you out at this time of night?”

“It’s our new thing for the day” Peter said with a smile, “I gave Harley a choice between coming up here to look at the lights or going to the gym for a workout routine. He chose out here, obviously.”

Tony smiled back at Peter and felt an overwhelming sense of affection for the kid. Peter was the reason that Harley was even still alive, Tony was sure. The love between the two of them was so plain to see and Tony kind of couldn’t help but love Peter as well. He made his son happy, how could he not? And the way in which Peter had gone so far above and beyond in his efforts to help Harley had won the teenager a place in Tony Stark’s heart for the rest of eternity (and admittance and fully paid tuition at whatever college the genius kid ended up at, likely the same one as Harley. God, Tony hoped). The boys seemed to have this idea that Tony was somehow unaware and completely in denial about their relationship but he knew all of it, and he didn’t care.

So what, if they’d hidden themselves away for the last three days of their Canadian vocation last summer and probably had sex until they physically couldn’t anymore? Tony knew they were safest and happiest when they were around one another. That was evident to see from the way Harley was clinging to Peter now they were outside.

“It’s so nice, isn’t it babe?” Peter asked softly, “The lights below, living in the city I think we don’t appreciate enough how gorgeous it is sometimes.”

“Yeah” Harley replied quietly, “It’s nice.”

Tony couldn’t help but look at his son and whilst the love and pride he was feeling hadn’t dissipated, over feelings were starting to creep back in. Mostly sadness. It hurt to see Harley like this. Ever since he’d been a baby, Harley had been so energetic and full of life. There had been times when Tony had wished his son was a little more introverted but now Tony would give anything, anything, to see that mischievous spark return to his son’s eyes as he made some reckless decision. At least that Harley was alive, this Harley was ghost-like.

He was wearing a Green hoodie that was slightly too big for him, the sleeves swallowing his knuckles, and he was still gripping to Peter as if his life depended on it. Other than the initial greeting, Harley hadn’t once acknowledged Tony and seemed utterly focused on his boyfriend. For whatever reason, Peter had become the only person that Harley trusted and would talk to. Tony was worried. Worried because he wanted his son to be able to come to a selection of people with his problems but also because the pressure that would put on Peter might eventually break them apart.

“Are you hungry?” Peter asked him.

“A little” Harley said with a shrug, “When did-what did we eat at lunchtime?”

“You had a cheese sandwich” Peter reminded him with a smile, “And I had a salami. I picked them up from Delmar’s on my way here, probably the last time for a while. He’s having to shut up for shop because of the lockdown.”

“Lockdown?” asked Harley

“Yeah, remember I told you” Peter said patiently, “The whole world is kind of having to shut down and hit the pause button cos there’s this nuts infectious virus going around.”

“Oh, yeah” Harley sighed, “You said that’s why you’re here all the time. Cos May’s at the hospital and you can’t risk infecting her so it’s better you’re apart.”

“Yep” Peter said, making eye-contact with Tony and winking.

It was a half-truth, of course. May Parker was indeed inundated with work at the hospital but Peter could have very easily remained at home, but they’d decided that it was a good enough excuse to have Peter come and stay at the Tower for a while for Harley’s sake. May had agreed, insisting on throwing Tony some money for keeping Peter despite the billionaire’s refusal.

“Scary” Harley noted, “I hope everyone’s alright. We should help them.”

Tony’s heart swelled with pride once again, and he was nearly knocked off his feet once more. Every damn time. His kid. His sweet, sweet, loving son who wasn’t even aware of how wonderfully thoughtful and considerate he was.

“Yeah, I agree” Tony said quietly and for the first time, Harley looked up at him and smiled. They maintained eye-contact for a while and only broke when Peter’s phone began to ring and the teenager picked it out of his pocket and bulged out of his eye sockets.

“Oh, it’s May” he said slowly looking between Harley and Tony, “I better go take this, I’ve not spoken to her all day. You guys will be good here whilst I’m gone, right?”

Harley looked panicked for a second but then seemed to realize it was his Dad that he would be left alone with so nodded, shuddering a little as he did so. Peter winked at Tony as he left. The little imp. He didn’t have a phone call at all, he’d planned all of this to give Harley and Tony some alone time together. Tony didn’t miss Harley looking at Peter desperately until the very second the boy finally stepped out of his line of vision and disappeared inside.

The sad little sigh he omitted damn near broke Tony’s heart all over again.

“It’s nice to see you out and about, Harls” Tony said, trying to sound casual as he decided he was in a now or never situation, “And for dinner the other night. It’s nice to see you doing better.”

“Not doing better” Harley replied quickly, “Just….just don’t wanna make Peter sad and I was making Peter sad before. Peter shouldn’t be sad.”

Tony looked down at his son who was now leaning against the railings, twisting the end of his overly long hoodie sleeves in his hand and shaking. Tentatively, Tony leaned down and rested a comforting hand on his son’s shoulders and was both surprised and relieved when Harley actually leaned into the touch and shyly scooted a little closer to his Dad.

So, they weren’t totally broken.

“Dad” Harley sighed as Tony pulled him into a side hug and the teenager pressed his head into his father’s chest, “Dad.”

“Yeah, kiddo, it’s me” Tony sighed, “Just me and you. Out here on the roof. Just like we used to do when you were little. The only difference is you’re a little taller and we finally managed to persuade you to take off that Power Rangers suit.”

Harley didn’t laugh or smirk or even react really.

“I’m sorry” Harley said sadly, “I know I’m making you guys sad.”

“You’re not, the-the illness is making me sad, Harley” Tony replied, “You could never make me sad, not even if you tried.”

“I’ve done a lot of bad things” Harley reminded him.

“So have I” Tony said with a shrug, “But you, you’re my kid Harls, I love you and Morgan more than anything else in the world. You could never make me sad.”

“But you _are _sad” Harley replied, “You are sad and you’re sad because of me. Because I can’t pull myself together and get better.”

“Harley, you don’t have to-“

“I’m trying” Harley cried, voice suddenly full of emotion that Tony had not heard from him for a very long time and the kid kind of collapsed underneath him. Tony quickly caught up with him and before he knew what was what, Tony was holding his sobbing son on the floor.

“Hey, hey, hey” was all he could seem to say over and over, kissing Harley on the temple of his head as he ran another hand up and down his kid’s back.

“I’m sorry” Harley repeated over and over before managing to pull himself together enough to look up at Tony, his eyes showcasing an expression that Tony could only describe as desperate, “I’m sorry Dad, I’m trying, I’m trying really fucking hard. I’m going to get better; you just need to give me some more time. You’ll see. I’m going to get better and I’m going to be the _best_ kid you’ve ever seen, I swear. I’m-I’m going to be Morgan’s hero again and I’m gonna make you and Mom so proud. I’ll make you love me _again_, please say you can love me again when all this is-please, Dad, _please_-“

Tony was at a complete loss. He felt utterly abandoned and vulnerable. Never had he ever expected to hear Harley sound like this and he didn’t know what to do. But he was a parent and being a parent meant that no matter what, he would love his child. And maybe that’s all Harley would need from him. He hoped.

“Harley, look at me” he said seriously as his son dissolved into sobs once again in his arms, “Please, baby, look at me.” Harley did so, “I _love _you. I love you so much, and that hasn’t changed, d’you hear me? I need you to know that so much. I love you and I’m so proud of you and I have never, ever stopped. Not since the first moment they placed you in my arms and wrapped your tiny little fingers around mine. I don’t want to change that, Harley, and even if I did I couldn’t. You’re my boy, you’re _my _little boy and I love you to the moon and back.”

“OK” Harley replied, “Dad, I’m scared. I think…..I think I’m broken.”

“You’re not broken, baby” Tony said, “You’re just a little lost right now and you might not see it, but you are already doing so much to come back to us.”

“I don’t know what happened” Harley confessed, “Everything just became too much one day and I started losing track of time and now I don’t even know what day it is anymore. How long has the world been on lockdown, and I didn’t even notice!”

“It’s been a while” Tony sighed, “Might be a while more yet. In a way, it’s been very bad timing for a lot of reasons but with all the schools closed….maybe, well, if they hadn’t been we’d have had more of a reason to need you out of bed and, Oh-god, I dunno. I dunno, Harls. Everything’s a mess at the moment.”

“Don’t be sad” Harley said quietly, pleadingly once again, entirely unaware that he was shattering his poor father’s heart for the third time in less than fifteen minutes, “I don’t want you to be sad, I don’t want anyone to be sad because of me.”

“Baby, we love you” Tony replied, “Of course, we’re sad. We see you suffering every day and it breaks out hearts but the thing you need to remember is, that’s not your fault. It’s just one of those things about life that sucks.”

“That’s why I need to be happy again” Harley sighed, “So you can all be.”

“Oh, Harley” Tony said, “That’s not how you should be looking at this, honey. You should be getting better because it’s what’s best for you, not everyone else. You don’t always have to think about other people, sometimes it’s alright to be a little bit selfish.”

“Peter” Harley merely replied with his boyfriend’s name, “Peter, where’s Peter? I want Peter to come back.”

Truth was, Tony wanted Peter to come back as well. How sad was that? His own kid and Tony was wishing that his teenaged boyfriend would come back out and hold Harley because Tony was too scared and freaked out by the depths and rawness of his son’s mental illness. Sure enough, Peter did come back a few seconds later and smiled sadly when he saw father and son curled up on the floor together and Harley’s eyes practically lit up when he saw Peter approaching him. Tony knew that look; Harley’s eyes had done that whenever he’d gone near the kid once upon a time.

Maybe this had always been inevitable and he’d been too blind to see it. Harley had always been an open and raw nerve when it came to his emotions. Every little thing the kid had ever felt had been etched on his face. He loved. Harley loved so openly and widely and earnestly that it was scary. Tony had always feared that someone would take advantage of that and had sworn to himself he’d deal with whoever it was, but someone – multiple someone’s – had done so and Tony hadn’t even noticed. There was no excuse for missing the signs, no excuse at all. The best he could hope for at this point was to stop himself repeating the same mistakes with Morgan.

“Can we go in now?” Harley asked Peter, “I’m cold and I wanna-I wanna….watch a movie?”

Peter’s face lit up into a beautiful smile.

“That’s awesome” he said, “We can totally do that. I know we were watching The Dark Knight trilogy earlier but maybe we could shoot for something a little bit lighter this time? Maybe like, Moana or Frozen or something?”

“Frozen, like the songs” Harley murmured, “Used to sing all the songs with Morgan when she was a baby, didn’t I Dad?”

Tony was brought out of his shame spiral as he heard his name and saw Harley looking up at him once again, still with tear stained eyes but now with the faintest hint of a smile on his face. Tony couldn’t help but return it. Memories of Harley bouncing his baby sister on his lap whilst singing about her being a fixer upper filled up his mind.

“Yeah” he said with a nod as Peter gave Harley a hand and pulled him up. Tony followed suit and smiled once again as Harley turned to face him. Almost sheepishly, Harley scurried towards Tony and quickly wrapped his arm’s around the man’s waist and then just as quickly stopped and rushed back towards Peter, who lead him back inside. Tony sighed heavily. How could being a parent be so rewarding and yet so punishing at the same time?

*

“This one is for you!” Morgan chirped. Harley, who had spent the best part of forty-five minutes curled up on a living room sofa, knee’s to his chest and staring out of the large penthouse windows, blinked and focused back in on his little sister. Her face was covered in dough and cookie batter as she held up a very messily decorated homemade cookie.

Harley smiled back at her and took it. Cautiously, he took a bite as Morgan’s big green eyes bulged and waited for her big brother to give him a response.

“D’you like it?” she asked.

“Best cookie ever” Harley replied, hoping that he sounded halfway convincing. Judging by how Morgan smiled and then bounced back into the kitchen, he guessed he’d pulled it off. Harley turned and looked towards where she was now being lifted back onto one of the larger kitchen island stools by Harry who whispered something in her ear that made her giggle.

Harley almost asked Harry what he was doing here, he didn’t remember his best friend being here before, and weren’t they all not meant to be mixing socially due to the pandemic?

“Last night” Peter reminded him as he came and sat down, “Remember? Harry arrived in a typically Harry whirlwind and announced he was going to self-isolate with us because the idea of being cooped up for god knows how long with his Dad would probably drive one, or both, of them to murder.”

“Oh yeah” Harley replied, fragments of the scene from the night before reappearing in his mind, “Was that-was that before or after we talked to Dad outside?”

“Just after” Peter said with a smile, “We were getting snacks to watch Frozen with and then bam! Harry was in the middle of the living room, bouncing off the sofa’s and persuading your Mom to let him stay here for the next few weeks.”

“Harry always stays here” Harley muttered, “Every summer. He don’t like home cos his Dad hits him sometimes…”

Peter’s eyes widened for a second and Harley cringed as he remembered that he’d always promised his best friend he would never tell anyone that particular bit of information. Peter seemed to recognize Harley’s mistake as he comfortingly squeezed his hand.

“That’s sad” Peter noted, “But I bet you’re always there for him when it happens, aren’t you?”

“Sometimes” Harley replied with a shrug, “When we were little, I used to hide him in my room but then Mom found out and went crazy. Harry cried when she called his Dad to come and get him, but it wasn’t Mom’s fault cos we never told her. She still don’t know now.”

“D’you think….maybe we should tell someone?” Peter asked.

“Up to Harry” Harley replied sadly, “But he don’t wanna lose his Dad after his lost his Mom. She had cancer. He watched her die; it was very bad. Sometimes he says he wishes she’d died in a car accident or something cos then he-“

Harley stopped talking the second he saw Peter wince. Oh god, how could he? How could he have been so fucking stupid as to say something like that to _Peter _of all people? Peter’s hand released from Harley’s and the boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry” Harley croaked, “I’m really sorry, Peter. I wasn’t thinking, I-“

“It’s fine” Peter said tearfully, despite the fact it very clearly wasn’t fine, “It’s fine, I’m just being dumb and oversensitive. This isn’t about me, it’s about you and Harry-“

Harley had never hated himself more than he did it that moment. Wasn’t this just a testament to how fucking stupid he was? In one breath he had managed to betray both his best friend’s confidence and remind his boyfriend – his gorgeous, loving, caring boyfriend whom he already did not deserve – of the greatest trauma of his life.

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

“Hey, we all good over there?” Harry asked. He had picked Morgan up and was looking at them both, clearly concerned, but managing to keep his voice at an even tone so as not to scare the little girl currently in his arms. Harley stuttered a little.

“It’s fine, we’re fine” Peter said, wiping at his eyes, “Can you-can you, will you be OK for a few minutes? I just-I need a few minutes.”

And with that, Peter detached himself from Harley completely and all but ran out of the room. Harley wanted desperately to follow him. He knew it probably looked pathetic, how much he needed Peter now, but he couldn’t help it. Peter was the only person who could make Harley feel sane, remind of what it was to be normal again. And all Harley could give him in return was insensitive reminders of the worst thing that could ever happen to a person.

Harley’s mind was starting to slip again. Everything was turning grey and sounds were becoming more and more muffled. He saw Harry gently place Morgan on the ground and make his way over, concern evident in his every foot step. Harley groaned. He couldn’t feel. He couldn’t feel. He couldn’t _feel_.

“Mo-Mo, can you do me a super big girl job?” Harry asked Morgan sweetly, bending down to his knees and placing a hand on the little girl’s arm, “Can you go and find Daddy in his labs and tell him that Peter’s a little upset and he might wanna come upstairs?”

Morgan nodded, before glancing at her big brother.

“I’m sorry the cookies didn’t make you feel better, Harley” she whimpered, “I’ll make them even better next time, I promise. Then you’ll smile again.”

Morgan bounced away and Harley couldn’t help but feel glad that she’d turned before the damn of emotions her crestfallen words had opened gushed free. He broke. He totally broke. Harry reacted by sitting down next to him and pulling him into a fierce hug but Harley couldn’t stop. This thing inside of him was hurting, killing, everyone around him. Everyone he cared about. He’d hurt his parents. He’d hurt Morgan and Peter and now he’d hurt Harry as well.

Harley was a disease. A cancer. They’d all be better off without him.

“Stop, Harley, stop” Harry pleaded, “What happened?”

“Can’t” Harley whimpered, “Can’t stop-“

“Can’t stop what?”

“Can’t stop hurting everyone” Harley cried, “I’m hurting everyone.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is”

“You’re not hurting us” Harry tried to assure him, “You’re not, it’s this thing inside you, it’s-“

“It’s me” Harley screamed. Or did he? He couldn’t tell, he’d meant to though. Harry didn't flinch but maybe Harry was just used to being yelled at, “Don’t you understand? It’s me, it’s all me. I hurt everyone. I make them sad, I-I can’t do this anymore-“

He blanked out again. If Harry said something to him, he didn’t hear it. If his Mom or Dad came rushing into the room to calm him down, he wasn’t aware. If Morgan came back and offered him another ten million cookies to try and make him feel better, Harley hadn’t taken any. Instead his wondering. He was heading towards his bedroom by nothing more than pure muscle memory. Alone.

Until.

He heard crying in one of the bathroom’s and it snapped him back into the present. Harley didn’t like it when people cried. Especially not people he cared about, and this sounded like it was someone that Harley really cared about. It was Peter. Harley pressed his ear against the bathroom door and heard as Peter spilled his heart out over a phone.

“I just feel totally out of my depth……I was stupid to think I could….I know, I know…..I do miss you a lot, May….no, I don’t wanna come home, I need to stay here…..no, I have to…..everyone’s helping but he only reacts to me…..it just, knocked me sideways a bit….yeah…..I know…..I’m just being dumb, you’d have thought I’d have gotten used to being an orphan by now.”

Harley cried as he listened. He’d done that, to Peter. He was killing him. Peter was trying to help him because Peter was kind and good, and all Harley had given him in return was grief. He’d always known that he didn’t deserve someone as kind and wonderful as Peter and, well, wasn’t this just the final, ultimate, undeniable proof?

But Peter would never leave him. Harley knew that. Peter had promised, and was someone who didn’t break his promises, but he was also too good. Too noble.

Stumbling, Harley felt anger rise in his chest. He entered his bedroom and almost winced at the state of it. The bed was unmade, clothes were thrown across the floor and the whole room stank. Angrily, Harley opened a window and stripped his bed sheets. It was only when he realized that part of the odor was coming from himself that he realized he couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken a shower. Maybe someone had made him at one point? Maybe Peter had? He didn’t remember. But he needed a shower, he needed a shower so bad.

He had to make things up to Peter. He had to make things better. Peter had given him everything and Harley had given him nothing in return. As he stripped off his clothing and looked at himself in the mirror, just in his boxers, Harley couldn’t help but wonder something. He….he hated himself, who he was, but he didn’t really hate his body. Or his looks. They’d been the one thing all of his life that people had said they liked best about him. When he was 8 and that older kid and shoved his tongue down Harley’s throat. When he was 10 and some woman shoved his head into her cleavage. When he was 12 and that pretty girl he was crushing on said she wanted to fool around with him. When he was 14 and that photographer told him to take his shirt off in a photoshoot just ‘for him’ (thank god his parents never found out he went along with that). When he was 16 and started sneaking out to sketchy bars and clubs, letting whoever was there use him however they wanted (thank god no one – not even Peter – knew about that)

Harley’s body had always made people happy, maybe it could make Peter happy now?

It was his last hope.

And so, Harley Stark painted on the same smile he’d been painting on since he was a kid. The smile that lied and said everything was OK. The smile that lied and said, it’s OK, I don’t mind that you did that. The smile that said, I’m yours, you can have me if you want me. It’s all about what you want.

He’d become a world expert at deception. He knew he could do it with ease if it was to make Peter happy.

*

“Hey, kiddo, we good?” Tony asked Peter as the teenager took a deep breath and headed back into the living area. Tony was sitting with Harry and Morgan on the couch, watching a movie. Peter frowned. No Harley. He was trying very hard to remain patient with the Stark’s frankly lackluster efforts at keeping an eye on their son when he wasn’t around but it was starting to wane. Harley had been devastated before, why the hell wasn’t someone with him now?

“Yeah, I’m OK” Peter replied shortly, “Where’s Harley?”

“In his room” Harry said with a sad smile, “I checked on him like five minutes ago. He’s cleaning, would you believe?”

“Really?” Peter replied happily, “That’s-that’s _amazing_. Did he-did he come down OK then?”

“Kinda zoned out” Harry shrugged, “I told him everything I know he’ll have needed to hear, and I meant it, but I’m not sure what difference it will have made. He was pretty set on finding you, or at least I think he was.”

Morgan sniffled next to Tony and Peter felt guilty for his earlier annoyance at the man when he saw him pull his daughter in for a hug. The Stark’s had another kid to think about as well, one who was much younger and didn’t understand why her big brother was so different.

“Where’s Mommy?” Morgan asked.

“On the thirty-eighth floor making last minute arrangements” Tony sighed, “The virus has managed what the US government and counter intelligence agencies have never, it’s shut us down. SI goes online from tomorrow, everyone working from home, Pepper’s having to oversee the whole move. It’s huge but at least once it’s done we can delegate and properly focus on making your big brother happy again.”

Peter frowned. He was happy that Tony and, presumably, Pepper were aware that they hadn’t really been around much for Harley in the past few weeks. He understood that Stark Industries was a major cooperation and moving to a purely online workforce was a strenuous task, but at the same time, Peter couldn’t help but be a little bitter that the company still came before their son.

Instead, Tony had spent the entirety of his afternoon locking himself in the lab and leaving Peter and Harry to watch over his kids. It wasn’t good enough.

But, as always, Harley rose above it. Despite his bitterness, Peter now wanted nothing more than to run off to Harley’s room and see the work his boyfriend had done on cleaning up. It seemed out of this world, less than three days ago, Peter hadn’t even be able to get Harley to engage in casual conversation and now he was cleaning his room and coming out of it to spend time with family and friends regularly. It was like a dream come true.

Peter’s heart panged as he looked at Harry, knowing what he now knew. He couldn’t say anything. Harry didn’t know he knew and with Harley’s mental health the way it was at the moment, Peter knew that there was a chance Harley might not even remember telling him. But Peter made a mental note of looking up Norman Osborn once he lockdown was over. Whilst Harry was safe with them in the tower and away from his Dad, that was good enough for Peter.

“I’m gonna go and check on Harley” he announced as Morgan giggled at a funny face Tony was making at her.

Harry nodded as Peter turned on his heel and left. He practically sprinted down to Harley’s room and was delighted when he opened the door to find the curtains open, sunshine pouring in, the bed covers cleaned and the smell of anti-odor in the air. Harley himself looked better than Peter had seen him in weeks. His hair was wet and glossy, he was sitting on his bed in a towel and looked and smelled more refreshed than he had done in months.

Peter grinned as Harley looked up at him and smiled, and his grin immediately failed. This was not the kind of smile that Peter knew Harley wore when he was genuinely happy. This was Harley’s fake smile and Peter knew how to see through it in an instance. He was surprised Harley would even try and use it on him.

“Hey” Harley said, trying his best to sound alluring. All an act. All an act, “I was wondering when you’d come back. I wanted to apologize for earlier.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for” Peter assured him. Please don’t do this, oh god, please don’t do this.

Harley took a step towards Peter and pulled him in for a kiss. Peter returned it, he didn’t mind kissing, he’d kissed Harley quite a few times over the last few days, but anything more was surely out of the question until Harley was better. But he knew from the look in his boyfriend’s eyes that Harley was fooling himself into being willing to go much, much further.

“I need to make it up to you” Harley breathed, trying to kiss at Peter’s neck, “You’ve done so much for me lately and I’ve given you nothing back. Let me make it up to you.”

“Not like this” Peter groaned, “Harley, baby, not like this.”

“I want to” Harley said simply.

“No, you don’t” Peter told him, “You don’t want to do this, not really.”

Harley frowned.

“But I need to make it up to you” he said, “I need to-I need to make you feel better and this-this will make you feel better, Peter. It always makes people feel better.”

“Not me, not you and not today” Peter snapped as he pushed Harley back a little and tried his best to see past his boyfriend’s heartbroken expression, “Harley, this is a bad idea-“

“Sex is good!” Harley said, “Sex is good, we should-“

“Babe, sex is only good when both people want it” Peter said, “Sex is only good when both people are in a good enough head space to really appreciate it, can you honestly say you’re in that place?”

“I don’t care” Harley whimpered as he tired to get closer to Peter again, “I want to make you feel better, I don’t care about me.”

“Well you should!” Peter shouted, getting off the bed and prompting Harley to fall as he reached in to kiss him again, “Harley, please, you have to understand that your body is not a bargaining tool. Using it to make other people happy only hurts you in the process.”

“But I don’t care!” Harley cried, “I don’t care. I hurt you and I made you sad and I needed to make it up to you and this is the only way I know how, Peter. Doing this. Letting you-letting you…it’s the only way I’ve ever been able to make other people happy Peter so let me make you happy.”

“I don’t need you to make me happy this way” Peter said angrily, “I was happier than I had been in weeks running down here, thinking that you’d cleaned and showered because you were getting better, that’s what made me happy. You getting better makes me happy. Seeing a little bit more of you piece itself back together every day makes me happy. This, Harley, there’s nothing _good _about this.”

Harley whimpered.

“I’m sorry” he said, looking totally and utterly humiliated and defeated, “I’ve messed up again, haven’t I? God, I’m so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid” Peter said softly as he perched himself back down on the end of the bed as Harley gently disrobed and reached for some clothes, “Harley, you’re not stupid. You’re a little lost and confused and, yes, ill right now. You’re not well, Harley, and surely you have to see that I could never have…have done anything like that with you whilst you’re like this.”

“But don’t you miss it?” Harley asked, “Sex? That’s-that’s what people are in relationships for.”

“Is it?” Peter asked, “Cos it’s not why I’m in one. I’m with you because you make me feel happy and safe and loved, and you’re so kind and wonderful that I just want to be with you all the time. Do I enjoy having sex with you? Of course, I love it. But it’s not why I’m with you. Is it why you’re with me?”

Harley took a deep breath.

“No” he admitted, “I’m with you cos of-well, why you said you’re with me.”

Peter smiled and kissed him on the forehead.

“Sex will come back at some point” Peter felt the need to tell him, “It will, when we’re both ready and we know we’re making the right decisions. But, Harls, you need to know that you’re worth more than just what fleeting joy your body can give other people. There’s so much more to you than that.”

“Hard to believe at the moment” Harley muttered.

“I know” Peter sighed, “I know, but I’m gonna make you see. And you are doing better, Harley, you really are but we’re going to hit some hurdles along the way and that’s alright. If we keep talking to one another like we are doing now then nothing is going to stand in our way.”

“You say good things” Harley said as he yawned and prepared to curl up in Peter’s arms and put this awful day behind him, “You make me feel good with your words. I wanna be like that one day.”

“Oh Harls, you already are” Peter said, kissing his forehead once again. He looked up and smiled as he saw Pepper, Morgan and Tony all standing in the doorway, smiling back at him, “And something tells me you’re going to bounce back sooner rather than later.”

Harley smiled as he fell asleep and, well, what more could Peter ask for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, please don't hate me, please stay safe and leave a comment with your thoughts,  
Jamie  
xxxx


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “At least you’re getting some action” Harry moaned once they were down by the in-door pool, watching Peter and Morgan splash around together, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be here with you swell people than back at home with Daddy Skeleton and his mean business practices but I’m definitely missing a bit of….y’know, hot and heavy. You would not believe how many times a day I’m-“
> 
> “Do I wanna know this?” Harley snapped good-naturedly, “Take one look at me Harry and tell me whether you think I’m in the mood to hear about your chronic masturbation problem.”
> 
> “Hey, you’re sassing me!” Harry said proudly, before pretending to cry, “You have no idea how much pride I’m feeling in this moment.”
> 
> Harley rolled his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm actually really proud of this chapter. Which is rare. Enjoy!

**Off The Rails.**

_Chapter 24._

Stay Home, It’s Where Your Heart Is. 

“Hey mama” Harley said quietly as he almost shuffled towards where Pepper was sitting in the middle of the penthouse living room at the compound. Almost shyly, Harley Stark sat down next to his mother who put down her glass of red wine and stroked her son’s hair as he rested his weary head on her shoulders.

“Oh, you’re just like your father” she sighed, “Up at all hours, what am I going to do with you?”

“You’re up as well” Harley reminded her, “I get it from both of you. I never stood a chance.”

“Hmmm, maybe” Pepper mused, “Though it does seem to have bypassed your little sister. She’s been out like a light since seven-thirty”

“Probably because she’s been playing in the pool with Peter and Harry pretty much all day every day” Harley said with a smile, “They both conked out pretty early as well.”

Pepper smirked.

“Have you gone in the pool yet?” she asked.

“No” Harley replied with a sigh, “I’ve mainly just stayed off to the side, checking out Peter’s ass in his shorts, and objectively appreciating Harry’s abs…..y’know, objectively.”

“Of course baby, of course” Pepper said with a smile, she turned to face Harley and brushed his bangs out of his eyes, “Are you happier here, baby? You seem so much more relaxed than you did back in New York”

They’d made the decision to continue their self-isolation at the upstate compound about a week ago. It seemed to be the most sensible decision at the time. Having, willingly, gained the presence of both Harry and Peter until the quarantine was over moving to the compound for the time being made the most sense; it gave everyone enough room to exist without getting on top of one another and allowed Pepper and Tony access to everything they needed to make Stark Industries continue to operate. No furlough for their employees, Tony had been positively empathetic about that.

Of course, moving out of NYC for the time being hadn’t been a popular decision outside of the Stark’s inner circle. Most of the media were using it as the latest stick to bash Tony with; “IRON MAN ABANONDS CITY IN TIME OF NEED” (or words to that affect) had been plastered across the headlines of every newspaper and online news site every day for the past week. Never mind that Stark Industries had donated the entirety of the MedBay in Stark Tower to health care for those who were already infected. Never mind that Tony and Pepper had donated over one hundred million dollars to fund research for a vaccine. Never mind that they’d made a personal pledge to cover the pay checks of everyone Norman Osborn and Reed Richards had ‘let go’ since the crisis started. Never mind that Stark Industries had shuffled around and guaranteed at least 4,000 new jobs for people who had lost their existing ones. Never mind that New York City hadn’t been abandoned by the Avengers at all; Bruce, Bucky, Sam, Steve and Wanda had all stayed behind in the tower to be around to cover any crisis that might come up.

Never mind that Tony, Natasha, Rhodey and Pepper spent most of their days in the compound putting together thousands of food parcels to be delivered to the poorest areas of New York City. Never mind that Pepper’s own children took time out of their days to help, even her teenage son who was in the midst of recovering from a mental health breakdown. Never mind that Iron Man and War Machine personally oversaw the delivery of said food parcels themselves, meaning almost daily trips to New York, meaning Tony hadn’t abandoned the city at all

And yet-

Pepper had never been more frustrated.

They’d made the decision that was best for their families welfare. Harley was falling apart. Pepper didn’t want to admit that, but she knew it was true. His mental health was worse than she’d ever seen it and being stuck in New York was slowly killing her son. What was she meant to do? He needed her to be around, he needed his Dad to be around and he needed to be in a place that wasn’t New York City for a while.

On a more practical note, did people really expect Pepper and Tony to open their MedBay up for confirmed COVID-19 patients AND have their children remain in the tower – and therefore at risk – at the same time? Morgan had been diagnosed with asthma only three months ago. Pepper wasn’t taking any chances when it came to the safety of her kids.

But no, because Tony wasn’t flying around the New York skyline in an iron suit (even though he _was_ in order to safely deliver the thousand of food parcels they were making), he’d abandoned the city and everyone from the news media to Twitter trolls were tearing them apart for it.

But Pepper didn’t care. Because she knew she’d made the right choice. Moving upstate for a while had pushed Harley’s recovery forward and he was getting better every day. Seeing the smile on his beautiful face creep across more and more made her heart warm to the point where Pepper didn’t care that the president had called her and Tony ‘examples of everything that is wrong with the elite in America today’ at a press conference without a hint of irony.

No, the only struggle was keeping all of this frustration from Harley. She refused to compromise his recovery, which exposing him to this level of hate would definitely do.

“Yeah, I like it better here” Harley said with a smile, “Thank you for letting Harry and Peter come with us, Mom, it’s really helping. I’d miss them too much if I didn’t get to see them for however long this quarantine lasts.”

“Always happy to have them, they always light up the place” Pepper replied, “Sometimes almost literally but we’ve agreed to move past that-at least they tried to bake cookies, I guess. You really do attract loveable human dumbasses kiddo; you do realize that”

“They must be attracted to me because I’m the same” Harley said with a shrug, “And that was a genuinely self-deprecating joke, which is a sign of recovery, which means you can _stop frowning at me_. I’m getting better. Fatalistic humor is my jam, you know this.”

“Yes, for my sins, I do” Pepper sighed, “Another thing you got from your dumbass father.”

“Where is my dumbass father?” Harley asked.

“In bed, where he should be” Pepper replied, “He’s working twenty-one-hour days at the moment, trying to be everything for everyone.”

“People are being mean about him again aren’t they?” Harley asked, almost like he was resolved to it, “I hate when they do that. Just pushes him more. Makes him exhaust himself so he can prove to them he’s not a selfish asshole, even though he’s already proven like a million times that he’s like the least selfish asshole on the whole planet.”

Pepper laughed and kissed the top of his head.

“Oh baby, you’re always so wise” she said fondly, “Even when you’re being a dumbass and hi-jacking our jet, you still somehow manage to be wise beyond your years.”

“They’re being mean about you guys because of me, aren’t they?” Harley sighed, “Because you had to leave New York so I could get better.”

“No, we left New York because we opened up our home to people who were sick with a highly infectious disease and we weren’t willing to put our kids in danger” Pepper replied sharply, knowing that he knew that was only a half-truth, “People were demanding our resources, we handed them over willingly and they expected us to just exist in the line of fire. Well, no. I’m sorry, but they don’t get it both ways. I’d sacrifice almost anything to get rid of this awful disease but there are three exceptions and people were asking me to gamble with them.”

“Let me guess” Harley replied, “The three exceptions are me, Dad and Morgan.”

“Yes, smart ass” Pepper said as she rolled her eyes, “There was no way I’m putting the three of you at any risk if I can avoid it. So, we’re here. And if people don’t like that, well-“

“What about you?” Harley asked, “You need to be an exception too, we need you.”

“Of course, I would never let anything happen to myself” she replied carefully, “I know you kids need me, but you also have to understand that if it came between me choosing between-“

“Nope, no, I don’t like this conversation” Harley said quickly as he covered his ears. Pepper grinned and simply pulled him closer, “You’re the best, you do know that right? Like, it’s not something that Dad just says to appease you when he turns up with random alpaca’s or almost flies a nuke into a blackhole, it’s because you’re simply the best.”

“Better than all the rest?”

“Get out of here with your old lady music references…”

“You knew it.”

“Well, you said yourself, I’m an old soul” Harry smirked. Pepper laughed and threw her head back; Harley was coming back to her. His snark. His smart ass remarks. His eyes seemed to have more colour and he carried himself with more confidence than he had done in months.

Her boy. Her baby boy.

“You should go to bed, Mom” he told her, “Whatever you’re doing can wait until morning.”

“Nah, I’m good for a while” she told him, “I need to think. Need to think whether I should call a press conference and do it from the comfort of my own bed, or whether I should risk-and what would I say-“

Harley frowned.

“There’s no use in me even trying to get you to go to sleep right now is there?” he sighed.

“Nope” Pepper replied, popping the ‘P’ and shifting her attention back to her laptop.

“Fine” Harley huffed as he got up, “Fine, then-then I’m going to go in your room and hug Dad because he probably needs one.”

Pepper smiled and looked up at Harley, feeling more than a little teary eyed. Her son. Her baby. Always thinking of others. She was so proud, god she was so proud.

“OK baby” she choked out, “Just don’t wake him.”

“Promise” Harley replied as he bent down and kissed her on the cheek, “Night.”

*

“You’re staring at my ass again”

“You have a nice ass”

“So do you”

“Eurgh, don’t objectify me” Harley groaned as he crawled across his bed and made his way to where Peter was standing at the end of it, towel in hand, drying his hair after a shower. He was dressed in only his boxer briefs and Harley was feeling….genuinely amorous for the first time in ages.

Peter turned around and smiled.

“Can I help you with something, Stark?” he asked, “Because you’re literally crawling towards me like I’m your prey or something.”

“I just, y’know, maybe wanna fool around a little” Harley said slowly, “Not like full…..y’know, but I wouldn’t be averse to making out for a bit. If that’s-that’s alright?”

Peter grinned.

“Of course that’s alright” he said as he jumped on the bed and landed on top of Harley, “A making out sessions sounds just perfect.”

Harley smiled as Peter leaned down and planted a filthy kiss on his lips. He groaned into it and Peter straddled Harley and re-arranged them, rolling over so Harley was on top. Harley liked being the one on top, it meant he got a bit more air to breathe so it was easier to break away if he got panicked. Not that he felt anything near panicked in this situation.

Slowly, Harley felt as Peter’s arms reached up and played with the bottom of his t-shirt. It wasn’t an unwelcomed touch; they’d slowly been moving things up a gear. Harley was still trying to toe the line between doing stuff to make his partner happy and doing stuff because he felt comfortable, and he was struggling to accept that sometimes both things could be true. Quickly, he decided that removing his shirt applied and so he allowed Peter to pull it off his chest.

Peter cooed as he looked at him.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous” he breathed.

“Oh shut up” Harley moaned, “I’m nothing compared to you, Mr. Six Pack.”

“I cheated” Peter replied, “I’m only like this because I’ve got enough radiation to power a nuclear plant running through my blood. You might not have literal six pack abs but your tone is all natural. You worked for it. I can’t tell you how hot knowing that is.”

Harley grinned.

“Mr. Parker, you’re making me blush” he teased as he shut Peter up with another kiss, “Keep talking like that and you might magic my pants off.”

“And Christ, wouldn’t that be a thing?” Peter smirked.

He didn’t in the end. Harley’s sweatpants remained on, as did Peter’s boxers, but once they’d ended Harley was sure that next time they could go a little further and it would all feel natural. Peter had, after their incident at the tower the previous week, seemed to at first decide that sex was off the table all together for a while but after talking his newly appointed therapist over Skype, Harley had realized that he still wanted sex and that that was perfectly natural, he just needed to redefine his relationship with it.

And so, he and Peter were actually taking things slowly when it came to physical expressions of their love, maybe in the way they always should have done.

“At least you’re getting some action” Harry moaned once they were down by the in-door pool, watching Peter and Morgan splash around together, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be here with you swell people than back at home with Daddy Skeleton and his mean business practices but I’m definitely missing a bit of….y’know, hot and heavy. You would not believe how many times a day I’m-“

“Do I wanna know this?” Harley snapped good-naturedly, “Take one look at me Harry and tell me whether you think I’m in the mood to hear about your chronic masturbation problem.”

“Hey, you’re sassing me!” Harry said proudly, before pretending to cry, “You have no idea how much pride I’m feeling in this moment.”

Harley rolled his eyes.

“But seriously, I haven’t had sex in twenty-four days” Harry moaned, “I feel like I’m going to regress into a Flash-like state of hyper virginity.”

“Oh god, imagine being locked up with him for all this time?!” Harley exclaimed. Harry chuckled.

“Fuck, he’s talking shit on Flash” Harry said as he put an arm around Harley’s shoulder and pulled him in for a side hug, “Peter! Harley’s talking shit about Flash, he’s back!”

“Hazar!” Peter responded from the pool as the through a giggling Morgan a reasonable distance in the shallow water.

“Are you coming in?” Harry asked as he got up and reached out his hand for Harley to take, “C’mon, if you go in, we can throw the pool noodles at Peter and reclaim the shallow end for ourselves.”

“Peter’s my boyfriend” Harley said, feigning horror, “If anything, we should see if we can use our collective strength to throw him the length of the whole pool.”

Harry chuckled as Peter squealed and shouted something about betrayal.

*

“Over five hundred households, Tony” Pepper said sounding uneasy the next afternoon. Everyone in the compound had spent the entire morning sorting out new food parcels to be distributed that afternoon in Queens and then Brooklyn, “Are you sure you and Rhodey can manage on your own?”

“Well, actually” Tony replied as he moved to stand behind Harley and Peter, putting a strong hand on either’s shoulder, “I was wondering if Spider-Man might like to come with us on this mission and check in with his neighborhood?”

Peter’s eyes practically bulged out of his head as he shot Harley an amazed look and then looked up at Tony like he was the best thing in the world.

“Seriously?” he asked, exhibiting all the energy of an excited puppy dog and making Harley somehow feel like he was falling even further in love, “Mr. Stark, I-yes, that’d be amazing! I know I can’t go too near her, but d’you think I could maybe at least go and sit on my balcony and wave at May?”

Tony paused for a moment. Blinking and looking a little panicked, he looked to Pepper and locked eye-contact, she merely shrugged. Tony sighed.

“Yeah, kid, sure, I don’t see why not” Tony replied heavily, “Just…yeah, don’t get too close or take too long, we’ve got a lot of deliveries to make.”

“I won’t let you down!” Peter practically squealed, giving Tony and Rhodey a salute (which was returned) before grabbing Harley’s hand and running with him back to their room where the Spider-Man suit had been sitting for weeks.

Harley smiled and sat on the edge of his bed as Peter began to get changed.

“Take it you’re excited then?” he asked as Peter pulled the suit up.

“Just a little” Peter replied with a smile, “Are you gonna be alright whilst I’m gone? Sorry, I didn’t even think that maybe-“

“I’ll be fine” Harley assured him, “This will make you happy and that makes me happy. I know how much you’ve been missing May, you deserve to see her, even if it just is waving at her through a window.”

Peter smiled and pulled Harley in closer to him.

“I really do love you, you know” he said, “And you’ve made so much progress since we left New York, I’m so proud of you.”

“Well, I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without you” Harley told him, “And I know we’re not quite there yet, but I can feel it getting closer every day. That’s got to count for something, right?”

“Right” Peter affirmed with a nod, “OK, I better go. Things to do, places to be.”

They quickly kissed.

“Love you” Harley said softly as Peter went to leave.

“Love you more” Peter replied, blowing a kiss as he left.

*

Harley spent the next few hours relatively relaxed. He went to the gym with Harry, helped his Mom prepare dinner and watched re-runs with Natasha and Morgan on the couch. There wasn’t really one minute that he didn’t think about Peter but he was pleased that he was able to get through an entire afternoon without panicking that Peter wasn’t by his side. He hadn’t realized just quite how dependent he’d become on his boyfriend, he was worried he’d been suffocating Peter a little bit, but everyone in the room had assured him that wasn’t the case when he asked.

Still, when four hours went by and they got the call that Tony, Rhodey and Peter would be back in a few minutes, Harley’s heart leaped out of his chest. Knowing that Peter was safe, back with him and happier for having seen May made Harley feel more at peace than he had done in months. Unfortunately, when the three arrived back and Peter – red-faced, blotchy eyed with shaking shoulders – passed through the living room without a word or a look for anyone, Harley’s panic immediately set back in.

“What’s wrong?” he immediately asked his Dad as the man crashed on a sofa next to Pepper and gave her, and then Morgan, a kiss on the cheek, “Dad, what’s wrong with Peter?”

“May” Tony answered shortly.

“She’s been taken to intensive car at the MedBay” Rhodey replied heavily, “She was showing some pretty bad symptoms. We had no idea, not until we got to the tower and Peter was immediately able to sense she was in danger somehow.”

“Yeah, May being in trouble kind of sets off his senses” Tony sighed, “Bruce and Helen were able to do some research when we found out, apparently Spidey-sense not only alerts Peter to when danger is near him but also when someone he loves is in danger near him. Poor kid. He pretty much collapsed the second we got there.”

“Oh my god” Harley breathed, “So…so what did you do?”

“Well, it took Steve and Bucky to stop him running into the MedBay” Rhodey replied, “I left with Sam and Wanda to make the food deliveries and Tony stayed with Peter, managed to at least calm him down by showing him live feed of May’s hospital room.”

“How is she?” Pepper asked.

“She’s May” Tony said with a shrug, “Sitting up, talking, giving orders out, insisting that other people get treated before her. The typical Parker stuff. I’ve made her accept some help though, for Peter’s sake. Helen Cho is going to be looking after her directly.”

“Poor May” Harry breathed.

“Poor Peter” Natasha hummed, “That must’ve scared the kid so badly.”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen him like that” Tony replied heavily. Pepper squeezed his shoulder.

Harley winced. He knew that for Peter, this would run deeper than just fear. He’d already lost his parents and his uncle. Grief ran through Peter just as much as his own blood. Harley knew that Peter would never really get over it if May died as well.

“I’ve got to find him” Harley said suddenly, standing up, “I’ve got to.”

“We know.” Pepper said with a smile. Harley just about managed to return it before turning on his heels and heading towards his bedroom, heart beating fast in his chest. His bones always ached to hold Peter when he wasn’t but they seemed extra pronounced now, so much so that Harley wasn’t able to carry his feet as quickly as he would have liked to get to Peter.

He got there.

Peter was sitting in the walk-in closet, knees clutched to his chest, head hanging between them and stifling sobs. Harley knew that Peter would need some time to warm up before he started talking so he merely entered the closet as well, gently sat down next to him and cast an arm around Peter’s shoulders. Peter reacted to the touch immediately and opened his eyes.

“Harley?” he asked.

“Right here” Harley said softly, “Whenever you’re ready.”

“May’s sick” Peter moaned, “She’s really, really sick.”

“I know, Dad told me” Harley replied.

“She’s gonna die” Peter cried.

“No, she’s not” Harley snapped, “She’s not, Peter. She’s not. I pro-“

“Don’t do that” Peter groaned, “Please, don’t do that. All my life-all my life, people have promised that they’re going to stick around for me and that they weren’t going to leave me. But they do. They do, Harley. I remember my Mom always saying she’d be there for me, and then she died. Then Ben used to say the same thing, then he died. And the last few years-the last few years, it’s always been me and May. She used to say we were a team, unbreakable, that she wasn’t going anywhere and I was stupid enough to let myself believe her. Let myself believe it was forever this time.”

“It is-“

"Don’t tell me that!” Peter shouted, “Don’t tell me that, Harley. I don’t need you to sit here and tell me it’ll all be alright when we both know it might not be. She could die, Harley. She could die and I would rather face that than let myself believe she’ll be OK and then be so hurt _again _if she dies. I can’t go through that kind of hurt for a fourth time, Harley, I just can’t. I need to be prepared.”

“How’d you mean?” Harley asked. He wanted to help Peter. Give him what he needed, let him hear what he needed to hear, because Peter’s happiness was all that mattered to him.

“I need us to be able to-be able, to-to talk about wh-what happens if sh-she-…” Peter was unable to finish his sentence before he descended into a sobbing fit once again. Harley pulled him in closer and Peter’s head fit perfectly, as it always did, into the crook of his neck. Gently, Harley pulled Peter’s legs over so his boyfriend was more or less sat in his lap.

“It’s-“

“Don’t tell me it’s OK” Peter breathed heavily, “It’s not OK”

Harley took a deep breath.

“You’re right, it’s not” he said sagely, “It’s not right and you’re also right, sugar coating things and giving you false hope isn’t going to help you. So, we’ll-we’ll talk about it. If it happens. If she-if she does die, Peter, the first thing I need you know is that you won’t be on your own. I will never leave you, ever. Because I love you and I want to be hear for you, the same way you’ve been hear for me. So, you’ll-you’ll come and live with us. Mom and Dad adore you; Morgan already thinks of you as a third big brother….you’ll come and live with us and we’ll be-well, not happy, but as happy as we can be-“

“I don’t wanna depend on you that much” Peter cried.

“Why not?” Harley asked, “These past few months, you’ve been my life line. The reason I’m still here and talking right now is because of you. Because you won’t ever give up on me and I won’t ever give up on you. Because we love one another, and that’s-that’s what you do when you love someone. And I know we both struggle with stuff, and I know that between us we’ve got more trauma than anyone our age should, but we’re fighting it together. With each other. It’s my favorite thing about us, Peter.”

“But-but I’m _cursed _Harley, don’t you understand?” Peter wailed, “If I come here and infect you all with this….this sickness in me, where everyone I-“

“Hey no, no” Harley snapped, but he wasn’t angry, he just needed Peter to hear, “No, you are not cursed Peter Parker. There is nothing about you that drives people away or causes them to leave, life has just dealt you a really shitty and unfair hand in life, but you are not someone who drives people away. You bring them together. You help them. Because you’re kind. You’re so kind and loving and good and I wonder every day what the hell you’re doing with a loser like me but you are and you make my life so, so, so much better. I love you.”

“I love you, too” Peter said shakily, “And thank you, thank you. I’m just scared Harley. I’m so scared, I can’t lose her, I just can’t….and you’re not a loser.”

“Thanks” Harley smirked, “Look, Peter, I can’t sit here and promise you that the worst isn’t going to happen because I don’t know. But what I can say that if I know anything about your Aunt, it’s that she’s the most awesome lady on the planet tied with my Mom and Auntie Nat, and she’ll fight the hell out of this. If not for her, then for you. Because you are the most important person in her world. And I don’t think you even understand how much the people who love you Peter are willing to do for you. How willing they are to fight to keep you happy. And May Parker is our fearless leader.”

Peter openly cried for a while after that, clutching at Harley desperately and shaking violently, it eventually passed and Harley was sure his boyfriend had just needed to cry out all of his anxiety before he was able to deal with what was going on.

And the Peter that Harley got once all the tears were cried out was more resolute. More together. More practical.

“Hey guys” Harry said softly, entering the room and smiling as he saw the two boys cuddled up together on Harley’s bed, “Pepper said dinner’s ready, but you can eat in here if you guys still want some privacy.”

“Nah, we’ll come down” Peter answered before Harley could, “I want to be around people right now and well, the best people in the world are pretty much all under this roof. If May, Ned and MJ were here it’d be all my favourites for sure.”

Harry smiled and left them too it. Peter looked up at Harley and smiled.

“She’ll be OK, I know she will be” he said softly. Harley smiled and kissed Peter’s forehead. He was so proud of him. He was so proud of himself. He was so proud of _them._

*

YouTube.Com

**A Message From Harley Stark**

**379,823,988 views.**

The handsome teenager laughed a little awkwardly as he went live. His hair as askew, he was wearing a black Iron Man t-shirt and a golden chain around his neck. He was Harley Stark. He was back.

“Hey gang” he began, “It’s been a while, ain’t it? I remember when me and Harry used to do one of these a week, those were the days weren’t they? When we were sophomores and life seemed simple. Well, I think we’ve all learned over these last few crazy weeks that life isn’t going to be simple. Hasn’t been simple, not for a long time. I don’t know if we’re ever going to get back to how life was before, and maybe in some ways, that’s a good thing.

We’ve been selfish these last…I don’t even know how long. Taking our freedoms for granted, not appreciating the hard work of people like nurses and shop workers who keep our lives ticking over and we don’t even realize. If something good comes from this, I-I hope that we find the time and space to love and appreciate one another more than we have been doing.

Don’t worry, I’m not here to sing Imagine at you and preach at you from my ivory tower. I think the first step in this journey needs to be admitting when you’re a privileged little asshole and, so, hey my name is Harley Stark and I’m a privileged little asshole. I was born into wealth and for many years, I’ve flaunted that wealth unapologetically and made a total ass of myself doing so. Many of you hate me, and that’s valid. I’ve not exactly made myself the most likeable of people at times.

I don’t really know where I’m going with this other than to say, I don’t get it. I’m not going to say that we’re all in the same boat because we’re not and all I can do is try and ease your burden. I’m personally donating three and a half million dollars to New York public hospitals and a further two towards the necessary research that is going into helping to find a vaccine to cure this disease that’s ripping us apart. I’m rich, no denying that. I may as well use it for good. I’ve no desire to be selfish anymore.

I know that a lot of people have been attacking my parents this week for choosing to leave New York during this time of crisis. They’ve been agonizing for days on what to say, how to explain it away, how to make you all stop hating them and I know I’m probably going to make them mad and am going against S.I. protocol by saying this but honestly, anyone who’s getting at them like they’re bad people doesn’t know what the fuck they’re talking about.

My parents have given everything they can to fighting this crisis. Donated almost a billion dollars to various causes, opened up their home to the sick and needy, gone out of their way to put their health at risk delivering food to the neediest areas of the city. They’re doing everything they can but they are also parents, and they have to think of their kids. I’ve not been well lately. Hence the uncharacteristic silence. I’m not going to go into details and ask you all to feel sorry for the little rich boy, but mental health problems do not discriminate amongst class divide and I’ve been in a very bad place for a long time. A lot longer than I think any of us realized.

But we realized and now I’m getting the help I need. I’m lucky. With the help and support of my family, my awesome best friend Harry and my boyfriend whom I absolutely do not deserve, I’ve begun to heal and I’m so grateful for that. We’re not in New York because my parents made the decision to care for their kid and moved us upstate. They did that for me. So, if you really feel inclined to blame and hate on someone for that decision, throw it my way. Not theirs. If you need to find fault in what they’ve done, just know that it’s been mine. They’ve done what they’ve done for me. And I don’t care if you hate them for that.

Well, that’s pretty much all that I had to say. We’re going to carry on doing what we’re doing, because it’s the right thing to do. I’m going to carry on focusing on my healing and doing whatever I can to make up for my past mistakes and to help whoever I can in this time of need. I’m aware being stuck at home for an extended period of time is boring so if you’re so inclined, me and Harry will be returning to our weekly Instagram lives from next week. Every Thursday night. Just a chill place to hang out, together. Movies. Q&A’s. Basic stuff, y’know. But we’ll be together. And it shouldn’t be too hard to persuade Harry to do them shirtless either, you know what a shameless hoe he can be….Oh, yeah, and Peter will be there as well, for those who are so obsessed with our love for another. He’s my rock, I simply would not be here without him.

So, if I can leave you on one note, it’s that you should stay safe and stay home. It’s where your heart is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left of this little Harley's mental health arc, focused on his continuing recovery as he helps Harry with some problems. Once that's posted, I'm not really sure where we're going but I have some idea (and a lot of time) so this fic isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
> 
> Please leave a comment with your thoughts down below! I'm extra curious for feedback on this one. 
> 
> Hope everyone's doing good,  
much love,  
Jamie xxx


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harley smirked.
> 
> “No way” he said, “I’m already good to go again.”
> 
> “Yeah, same” Peter replied.
> 
> “We should probably go and join the fam for dinner…”
> 
> “Probably….”
> 
> They didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is kinda nothing but it had been two weeks and I needed to get SOMETHING out and I ended up quite liking this pointless fillery fluff. Apparently when faced with writers block, I just resort to smut and bro's being bro's.
> 
> Bit of a TW for underage drinking and some heavy-ish smut towards the end of the chapter.
> 
> Enjoy!

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 25_

I’m Fine, Look Away.

Peter had always enjoyed helping people. It was just something that came naturally to him and he was never happier than when he had made someone else smile. People had told him this made him special and unique and kind over the years which had confused Peter, wasn’t helping other people the point of existing? Why did it make him special? He was only doing what his brain told him to! Peter helped people like he breathed, he wasn’t even aware he was doing it sometimes and May had told him so many times that he was too generous, but he’d decided long ago he may as well continue. It wasn’t hurting anyone.

So, when Peter left a sleeping Harley to go and get himself a midnight snack and found his boyfriend’s best friend sitting alone on a couch trying to hide the fact he was crying, he felt himself naturally migrate over to Harry Osborne as if he was being pulled in by a magnet. 

“Hey, Parker” Harry said softly as Peter sat down next to him and smiled, “I figured one of you two would come and find me eventually.”

“You good?” Peter asked with a sigh.

“Oh just Dad stuff” Harry replied bitterly, “Basically messaged me this afternoon and said that he doesn’t see any need for me to return home when quarantine lifts.”

“What?!” Peter snapped, “What the hell?!”

“He thinks we gel better when we’re apart” Harry said with a shrug, “Messed up thing is, I think he’s probably right, but that doesn’t mean this didn’t sneak up on me and kick me up the ass. He’s meant to be my Dad, y’know, he’s meant to want me, right?”

Peter grimaced. This was somewhat uncharted territory for him. Parental abandonment had always been forced on him, he’d never had to deal with someone who was meant to love him choosing to leave him for no other reason than them just being a grade A asshole. 

But he knew what Harry needed. 

“You’re loved” he told Harry, “You are. This is your family, here. Harley loves you like a brother, he loves you so much and you have always been there for him, he loves you. And Mr. and Mrs. Stark clearly adore you and let’s not pretend like Morgan doesn’t think you’re the best thing since sliced bread.”

“They’re not my family though” Harry sighed, “I always feel like I’m an intruder whenever I spend time with them. I don’t really belong.”

“Oh, you belong” Peter replied, trying to shoot Harry a winning smile, “What the hell has the last month been about if you didn’t? The Starks aren’t just putting up with you, Harry, they want you here because they love you and you’re a part of this family. The fact you felt comfortable enough to just turn up and announce you were coming with us says it all. They didn’t even fight it.”

“Because I didn’t give them a chance!” Harry exclaimed, “I just do what I always do; rock up and talk at a million miles an hour and don’t give people a chance to stop me in my tracks. Harley wasn’t exactly in the headspace to tell me to fuck off, was he?”

“You’re here because you knew he needed you” Peter said calmly, “Your dad’s an idiot, if you don’t mind me saying. You’re awesome. You’re one of the most kick ass people I’ve ever met and anyone who doesn’t want you in their life is a fucking moron.”

Harry smirked and bumped his shoulder in to Peter’s.

“Thanks, Parker” he said softly, “Normally I can rely on my extremely large ego to boost me out of these daddy issue driven funks, but it wasn’t quite kicking in today. I needed to hear that from somebody else.”

“Well, I’m always here!” Peter said with a smile.

“You’re so great” Harry smirked, “I can see why Harley loves you so much. Here you are, with all that’s happened to you, when your aunt’s sick and you’re still finding the time to comfort me and Harry. It’s amazing.”

“It’s not that amazing” Peter muttered, “I’m just being nice.”

“A lot of people aren’t nice, Parker, believe me” Harry smiled, “You must know that too, must come across some real dicks when you’re Spider-Manning.”

“I like to think of them as misunderstood or lost” Peter shrugged, “I don’t like to think of them as being bad, just…fine, some of them do suck but that doesn’t mean that I hate them, y’know?”

“Not really” Harry muttered, “Sometimes I think I’m made up of 89% hate. I get so bitter and angry at the world sometimes, and I push it away….maybe that’s why my Dad doesn’t want me to come home, maybe I’ve pushed him away as well?”

Peter frowned. He’d never considered Harry bitter or hateful in any way, the guy had always seemed to be the definition of fun and an upbeat outlook on life. But Peter knew more than anyone else how easy it was to hide behind a mask you project on the rest of the world and the more he looked at Harry, the more Peter was sure that was the case here. 

“D’you wanna make cookies?” he asked, out of the blue.

“Cookies?” Harry repeated, raising his eyebrows, “You want to make cookies at two in the morning?”

“Yeah!” Peter chirped, “Why the hell not? I’m up and about now anyway, and it’s scientifically impossible not to become happier when you’re making cookies. My Uncle Ben told me that and he was right about everything.”

“Are you sure?” Harry asked, “I mean, I’m down for cookies, but-won’t you miss out on sleep?”

“I can rest my weary head on my boyfriend’s muscly little chest all day tomorrow if I need to” Peter said dreamily, “It’s a quarantine, Harry, we’re pretty much being given patterns to long term fuck-up our sleeping patterns. And we get cookies!”

Harry smirked.

“You’re ridiculous” he said with a smile as Peter grinned and dragged him into the kitchen, “But you’re also the nicest fucking person on the planet, the best boyfriend I could ever wish for Harley and I…I fucking love, you, Parker.”

“Right back at ya, Osborne!” Peter replied enthusiastically, feeling proud of himself for helping Harley’s best friend in his time of need.

*

“Peter…”

“’m?”

“Pete….”

“’sleepy, who dis?”

“It’s Harley”

“Hmmmm….Harley…yay”

“Yay indeed” Harley said patiently and Peter smiled as he felt a hand run through his hair, “But it’s dinner time now and you need to move cos Harley hungry.”

“No, comfy” Peter moaned.

“Me too, but we’ve been like this for six hours” Harley groaned, “I wanna get up, I need to move my left foot because a cramp is imminent and I haven’t worn a shirt for three days now!”

“Good” Peter said with a smile, “Gonna burn your clothes. You’re so hot that it should be illegal for you to wear clothes. Burn them all.”

“You’re getting drool in my chest hair you slob, move” Harley chuckled and managed to move Peter off his chest, the smaller teenager sat up.

“Chest hair?” Peter questioned, “Chest fluff more like.”

“Oh says Mr. No-Body-Hair at all” Harley teased him.

“I have one word for you, Stark” Peter snapped good-naturedly, “Curls.”

Harley looked up at his boyfriend’s hair and grinned. Peter ducked his head a little so that Harley could roam a hand through his curly locks. 

“Unfair” Harley muttered, “You know I can’t resist those curly locks. They’re literally you’re best feature and that’s saying something cos every inch of your body drives me to the edge.”

“Even my toes?” Peter asked.

“A little” Harley admitted, as Peter ran his hands up and down his bare torso, “You’re the one who should be banned from wearing clothes.”

“Maybe we should join a nudist colony” Peter smirked, “Although maybe not, maybe our combined hotness would like cause some or all of them to fall in love with us and then their society will fall and we’ll end up in some kind of weird, naked Waco-esque situation. Our combined hotness is too powerful.”

Harley grinned and felt his sweats tent a little. Peter noticed too and smiled. They’d not yet got around to having sex following Harley’s recent struggles but they’d been edging closer and closer every day. 

“Are you-?” Peter asked as Harley moved closer to him.

“I think I am” Harley replied quietly as he moved in to Peter’s personal space and quickly removed his boyfriend’s shirt and then ran his hands up Peter’s newly bared torso. Peter immediately kissed him and was hungry and borderline desperate in it, totally dominating Harley’s mouth as he fell on top of his boyfriend and worked on pulling Harley’s sweatpants down, leaving the Stark heir in just his boxers. 

“You good?” Peter panted as he broke away from the kiss, “I don’t want to do this unless you’re absolutely sure, Harls.”

“I’m ready” Harley said, a blissful look painted over his face, “I’m ready and I need you, Peter, I fucking need you to be inside of me now.”

Peter smiled.

“Better undo my belt buckle then, stud” he replied, smashing his lips into Harley’s once again as the taller reached towards Peter pants and began to pull them down, “I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed you, Harley, I want you inside me too. Soon.”

*

“Wow, that was the best it ever was” Harley said breathlessly over an hour later as he and Peter lay in bed totally and utterly spent. They were still naked and Peter had curled into Harley’s chest once again. “I hadn’t even realized how much I’d missed you until that.”

“Same” Peter replied, “That was like doing it for the first time all over again. Was it good for you? Didn’t give you any bad thoughts or anything?”

“I’d have said if it had” Harley replied, “I’m getting better at letting people know when I’m uncomfortable, I would have said.”

“Good to know” Peter hummed happily, “I’m so proud of you, you know. You’ve come so far. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too” Harley sighed before smirking, “Damn, you must have been having a lot of dates with a lot of socks over the last six weeks or so. You were very….pent up.”

“Oh, I was desperate” Peter admitted with a laugh, “I was a complete and total slut then. I came apart for you so easily because I was just so ready for it. We should not have sex for months on end for the rest of our lives if it means I can feel like this every so often.”

Harley smirked.

“No way” he said, “I’m already good to go again.”

“Yeah, same” Peter replied.

“We should probably go and join the fam for dinner…”

“Probably….”

They didn’t.

*

“Mom said we can have one each” Harley said as he passed both Harry and Peter a bottle of beer as the three gathered on the roof to watch the stars later that night, “Said something about wanting to take this opportunity to be a cool Mom and let her kids drink in the house. I didn’t make a Mean Girls reference.”

“Thanks” Harry said as he took his botte. Peter frowned and discretely put his to one side, Harley smiled, knowing Peter didn’t like to drink unless they were at a party and everyone else was, “So….you guys fell asleep and missed dinner? Crazy.”

“Crazy” Harley and Peter replied in unison.

“Y’all ain’t slick, you do realize that” Harry chuckled, “I’m pleased you too managed to find it in you to fuck again. You could cut the sexual frustration with a knife for the last few days. Peter definitely channeled a little too much energy into whacking cookie dough with a rolling pin last night…”

“Don’t put me on blast like that, Osborne!” Peter snapped with a smile as Harley laughed, “And don’t act so high and mighty. We all know that elastic band tied around your wrist isn’t there for aesthetic reasons.”

“Oh, I am as horny as a dog” Harry said with a nod, “I haven’t had sex for 43 days. That’s the longest stretch of time for years, I can practically feel my virginity growing back.”

“Why don’t you see if Natasha would oblige you?” Harley asked, “Oh, no, wait, to do that you’d actually have to be able to form a coherent sentence in front of her. And she’d have to be a massive predatory creep, which she decidedly isn’t.”

“I liked it better when you were a selective mute” Harry smirked as he threw a cushion at Harley who caught it and launched it back.

“A whole two months of peace, no doubt” Harley smiled.

“Oh, have we reached the joking about our trauma stage?” Peter asked, taking a sip from his beer despite his earlier hesitance, “Because now I know that May’s largely in the clear, I have some good material stored up about being orphaned twice.”

“I’ll raise a glass to skating the line to orphan-hood” Harry said, raising his bottle to Peter, “Because my Dad kicked me out and now I have no blood family willing to put up with me.”

“You have us!” Harley declared, “And we’re better than your stupid sperm donor in every conceivable way. Friendlier. Funnier. Sexier. Slightly more ethical Billion-dollar empire with only like one tenth of the war crimes, you’ve ascended.”

“Dude” Harry laughed, “I love you; I will always love you and I never stopped loving you for one fucking second over the last few months, but I’m so glad this Harley is back.”

“Thanks” Harley replied, blushing a little.

“So am I” Peter chimed in, “The Harley that fucks.”

Harry stood up and climbed towards the railings. Peter was a little on edge at the movement and got a web-shooter ready, just in case.

“What’re you doing?” Harley groaned.

“FUCK NORMAN OSBORNE!” Harry shouted at the empty countryside surrounding the compound, “He is nothing to me anymore! Woo!”

“YEAH, HE HAS A NEW FAMILY NOW!” Harley chimed in. Peter rolled his eyes.

“Guys, I’m sure the Owls are really hyped to hear that” he said, “But can you both please climb down from the ledge before you give me a god damn heart attack.”

The boys both came down and all settled together on Peter’s deck chair. Harley and Harry on either side of the smaller teenager. 

“I am the envy of so many gays right now” Peter smirked as the two warm bodies pressed against his, “Is it OK if I admit something right now?”

“Will it change the nature of our relationship in any drastic way?” Harley asked as he took about seven Dorito’s into his mouth at once.

“Not before that” Peter muttered, “No, I basically felt like now was as good a time as any to admit that old closeted baby Peter had a major crush on Harry and used to….think of him, a lot. Like, a lot a lot.”

Harry grimaced as Harley smirked.

“Babe, we really have so much in common” he laughed, “Imagine being closeted and having literally the most gorgeous boy in your grade as your best friend. Who changes in front of you without a care in the world.”

“So, you’ve both masturbated to me, is what you’re saying?” Harry asked with his eyebrows raised as he took a rather large swig from his bottle, “That’s….well, flattering. Thank you.”

“The ¼ of the beer bottle I’ve consumed has gone right to my head” Peter giggled, “And, just so we’re all clear, I’ve become significantly less attracted to you since I started dating Harley. If you’re a 10, Harley’s a 13. Maybe a 14.”

“Ha!” Harley said before his face softened, “I really love you two, so much. Frankly, I don’t even know that I would be here today without the two of you and there’s no people I’d rather be stuck in prolonged quarantine with than you two.”

“Same!” Peter said, “And when May gets here once Dr. Banner gives her all clear, it’s going to be even better.”

“And I live here now….I guess” Harry said slowly.

“Oh please, you’ve lived with us for years” Harley replied, “We’re just finally putting an official stamp on it.”

“Told you” Peter said smugly to Harry before leaning up and kissing Harley, “I’m really pleased that the three of us have one another.”

“Forever bonded by three different forms of Daddy issues and all being massively attracted to Harry Osborne!” Harry declared.

“You’re the worst” Harley told him, “Accurate, but the worst.”

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....shameless plug time. I've started a new series called Blood Feud which is the first story I've actually planned beforehand and not just thrown chapter after chapter up and hope they all connect somehow. If you're a fan of my writing and would like to check it out, you can do so here; https://archiveofourown.org/series/1709539
> 
> Anyway, as always please leave any thoughts down below and keep yourselves safe,  
Much love,  
Jamie  
xxxx


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He was crying” Peter said in a whisper, “The last time I saw him, he was crying and he looked so devastated, Mr. Stark. This is all my fault.”
> 
> “Nope, none of that” Tony said as he squeezed Peter’s shoulder a little, “It’s our fault. Your Aunt’s opened our eyes to a few things and I can see that we’ve maybe taken our eyes off the ball with you and Harley over the last few months.”
> 
> “Sorry, she can be kinda fierce sometimes” Peter replied.
> 
> “Don’t be, she was right in what she said” Tony said assuring, “And I feel like she’s only fierce when it comes to defending you. Which I get. Because I’m only that fierce when I’m defending my babies.”
> 
> “What did she say?” Peter asked.
> 
> “Just what you told her” Tony replied with a smile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst and social media are back with a bang! Enjoy!

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 26._

A New Normal.

“I don’t know how Harry can be so shameless?” Harley asked, grimacing as he scrolled through some of the lewd comments left on his best friend and perspective adoptive brother’s latest Instagram thirst trap, “Shirtless, black and white near a beach, when he knows we’re nowhere near one and couldn’t go if we wanted to. I don’t know how he could ever expect anyone to believe this was just a coincidentally shirtless candid.”

“Why are you moaning?” Peter, who had been transfixed on the post for five minutes, asked as Harley rested his head on his shoulders.

“You’re not more attracted to my best friend than me, are you?” Harley asked playfully, poking Peter’s bare chest.

“Of course not, he’s a 12, you’re a 14” Peter winked, “And I’m kind of bored of seeing Harry with no shirt on in person at this point, so…”

“Good, let’s keep it that way” Harley said with a smile, “You know, I used to feel bad that I got so upset over the comments I used to get whereas they don’t bother Harry at all. Never have.”

“You’re just different people” Peter shrugged, “And, to be fair, Harry posts stuff like that with the intention of inspiring that kind of reaction. A lot of the time it was uninvited when it happened to you.”

“You’re so wise” Harley said with a smile as he leaned in and kissed Peter, “I find that the sexiest thing about you after your cute little bubble butt.”

Peter grinned as the kiss deepened. Ever since they’d slept together for the first time since Harley’s recent troubles a week ago, they’d been making up for lost time and Peter was honestly a little bit exhausted. He moaned and pulled away before Harley could take off his shirt.

“Babe, we only did it an hour ago” he said softly as he took Harley’s hands in his and pressed them to his chest, “I think I’m more down to just cuddle for the rest of the afternoon, if that’s alright with you?”

“Of course it is!” Harley beamed, “Sorry, I just got a bit excited. I’m totally down to cuddle, especially as it’s raining so hard outside.”

“Yeah, bad weather makes extended quarantine a little easier to stand” Peter groaned as he leaned back and rested a hand behind his head. Harley dipped his head on to Peter’s abdomen and the smaller boy ran his hands through his boyfriends hair. Harley sighed happily at the touch.

“I think Dad’s going slowly insane” Harley noted, “That man was not built to be cooped up indoors for weeks on end.”

“Is this to do with his dinner time meltdown last night?” Peter asked, “Because I’m sure your Mom will stop him getting an alpaca shipped in before he actually does it and, hey, even if she doesn’t…..alpaca’s are fun.”

“Maybe” Harley grumbled, “Hey, when all of this is over, can I come and spend some time with just you and May? I love my family and stuff but….I dunno, I think I maybe need to live somewhere without seven floors, an in-door swimming pool and alpaca for a little while.”

Peter sat up. This was a surprising revelation. He’d been encouraging Harley to not be afraid to be open about whatever he was feeling and Harley had been doing really well with that but hearing that he wished to spend some time away from his family was not something Peter had expected or felt prepared for. Harley was looking at him with expectant eyes which compelled Peter to form an answer quickly.

“That’s….I mean, you’re always welcome at my place” Peter replied slowly, “And given that I’ve been leeching off your family for months now, I’d have to be a super mega hypocrite to not let you come and stay with me when we’ve left.”

The truth was, Peter had been thinking a lot about what life would be like once the quarantine lifted as well. He missed May to his bones. She had been told, initially, that once she was better she could have come to the compound to stay with the Starks as well but when Morgan had developed a cough, that had been vetoed. Peter understood but he was devastated and this was the longest time that he had ever gone without seeing May and he had been kind of excited to spend some time with just him and her.

“Awesome!” Harley said with a smile, “Aww, Pete, it’ll be so much fun! Me, you, and May. We can bake and watch movies and just hang out without my Dad’s zany schemes or Mom running everything to the tightest possible schedule. Thanks, Peter. You have no idea what this means to me.”

“Yeah, sure, of course” Peter replied with what he hoped was a smile that masked how conflicted he felt inside. No one to one time with May sucked but he’d be selfish as hell if he denied Harley what he clearly needed, especially after he’d been so ill for the last few months. “It’ll be great, it’ll be awesome”

Harley smiled and soon enough he settled down for a nap next to Peter, lacing their fingers together and falling asleep with a worry-free grin on his face. Peter looked at Harley as he slept and gently moved a strand of hair away from his handsome face and sighed. He loved Harley. He loved Harley so much that it honestly kind of scared him. He knew there was nothing he wouldn’t do for his boyfriend if needed but at the same time, he didn’t want to have the kind of relationship where they could never spend time apart from one another. It wasn’t healthy.

But Harley needed him. He needed him so much. And Peter needed Harley as well, he couldn’t help but wonder if they’d rushed into this kind of deep and life changing love at such a young age. Harley had been so ill for such a long time now and Peter had dedicated his life to taking care of him and the lockdown had only made it more intense but Peter had always assumed that he would have some time just for himself when it was all over.

“I like it when you watch me sleep” Harley whispered around half an hour later as he rolled further into Peter’s personal space, “Makes me feel safe.”

Peter cringed. How had he not seen this coming? Harley was way too dependent on him for all of his emotional care. And he was still way too vulnerable for Peter to be able to hold back a little more without triggering a serious relapse.

He was beginning to feel overwhelmed, and a little suffocated.

Did this mean he didn’t love Harley? No. No. He loved Harley so much, but maybe he was starting to wonder if they needed a little time apart.

It was him; it was all him. He was so selfish and weak. Harley loved him and wanted to be with him all the time, and Peter was cruel to not feel the same way, but that was how he felt and surely it would be hypocritical if he kept his feelings to himself as well?

*

“Am I stupid, selfish, horrible person?” Peter asked May as they conducted their daily Skype session later that night. He’d just pretty much poured his soul out to his aunt over the computer and was still wiping the tears away from his eyes as May took a deep sigh and gave him a loving look that made him miss her so much.

“You are the opposite of all those things, baby” May sighed, “If you have a flaw at all it’s that you spend so much time looking after other people that you sometimes neglect what’s best for you.”

“I just feel so bad for even thinking it” Peter moaned, “And now it’s gonna be really awkward here because none of us know how long we’ll be cooped up for and all the time in the back of my head, I’m going to be thinking about how I’m still not going to get time with you just us when it’s all done either.”

May frowned.

“I’m going to speak to Pepper-“

“No, Aunt May, please-“

“No, Peter. She and Tony need to know that you’re feeling this way, baby-“

“But it’ll just cause trouble!” cried Peter, “It’ll make them feel bad and Harley feel bad and Harry’s just settling in now he’s gonna be-“

“Peter, sweetheart, you’re doing it again” May sighed, “You are thinking of what everyone else in that compound needs before what you need. Sweetie, it doesn’t matter to me what they need. Well, it does, but not as much as what you need does. This is clearly making you unhappy, Peter, and I can’t sit back and watch that happen.”

“But you’re sick” Peter cried again, louder this time, there was no way that no one else had heard him by now. He hadn’t wanted to resort to bringing up May’s illness as a way around this but he felt like he had no other choice, “May, please-“

“I’m sorry Peter, I’m going to have to go over your head with this one” May said with a deep breath, “We’re the adults, and we’ve dropped the ball when it’s come to you and Harley over the last few months. I should have stepped in before this situation got out of control and I know that they’re busy and I know that they’re good people, but Tony and Pepper are the ones who need to be responsible for Harley’s welfare. It can’t all fall to you and you alone.”

Peter sighed. This was it. Defeat. He knew he shouldn’t have told May. It was just going to make everything worse and now everyone in the compound was going to hate him and not want him around anymore.

“OK” he sighed, his lip wobbling, “Thanks, I guess.”

“Anything, always, for you” May replied, “I love you so much, Peter. I am so proud of you and I am counting down the hours until I get my hug when we can see one another again.”

Peter nodded. If he hadn’t been crying enough before, he certainly wasn’t. He told May he loved her, hung up and took a deep breath before standing up and making his way out of the guest room.

The first thing he saw as he opened the door was the last thing he’d wanted. Harley Stark, with tears pouring from his eyes.

“Harley, I-“

“Why didn’t you just say?” he asked brokenly, shaking, “Why the fuck didn’t you just say?”

*

Peter didn’t know how long, exactly, he’d spent cooped up in a walk-in closet on the sixth floor but it seemed like a good place to escape from everyone who hated him now. May had likely called Harley’s parents by now and they would all be aware of what a shit, selfish boyfriend Peter really was. Harley had looked so beyond devastated when Peter opened that door. So broken, like he had done weeks before. Like all the progress he’d made since had just flushed away and it was all Peter’s fault. This is why he never did what was best for him, it always seemed to hurt people.

Silently, Peter wondered if he might as well just stay in this random guest room until he was inevitably asked to leave the compound. He really didn’t want to go back to where the Starks were if it meant having to deal with their icy stares and hate filled glances. He had broken Harley’s heart. They were going to hate him forever. He was going to hate himself forever. How could be so cruel and inconsiderate? He should have played it down to May, shouldn’t have selfishly indulged himself with that much comfort. It was selfish and now he’d ruined everything.

“Random room to hide in, kiddo, I gotta say” Tony Stark’s voice came from outside the closet. Peter shook as a light knock sounded on the closet door. “Now, I would like your permission to come in, but I’m going to regardless cos I’m in loco-parentus according to Pepper and that means you’re my responsibility in the absence of your fierce Aunt. So, what do you say? Can we have a chat?”

Peter sighed and crawled over to unlock the door. It was nice of Mr. Stark to at least come and deliver the news in person. Tony sighed and winced as he placed a steadying hand on his back as he sat down next to Peter. The hand transferred from his back to the teenager’s trembling shoulder and Tony tried his best to ignore Peter’s slight flinch at the contact.

“I’m sorry” were the inevitable first words Peter was able to croak out, “I’m so sorry, Mr. Stark, I never meant to hurt anyone, I-“

“Hey, hey, slow your roll kid” Tony said softly but with a hint of a smirk, “No one’s hurt and no one’s thinking badly of you in any way. I’m kinda thinking badly of myself and so is Pepper but no one’s mad at you.”

“You should be” Peter muttered, “I’m selfish, and I’ve hurt Harley.”

“Harley will be fine” Tony said strongly, “He’s talking things through with his Mom downstairs and lord knows she’s better at getting in his head than I am. You’ve kind of pulled the emotional short straw having me come and check on you.”

“He was crying” Peter said in a whisper, “The last time I saw him, he was crying and he looked so devastated, Mr. Stark. This is all my fault.”

“Nope, none of that” Tony said as he squeezed Peter’s shoulder a little, “It’s our fault. Your Aunt’s opened our eyes to a few things and I can see that we’ve maybe taken our eyes off the ball with you and Harley over the last few months.”

“Sorry, she can be kinda fierce sometimes” Peter replied.

“Don’t be, she was right in what she said” Tony said assuring, “And I feel like she’s only fierce when it comes to defending you. Which I get. Because I’m only that fierce when I’m defending my babies.”

“What did she say?” Peter asked.

“Just what you told her” Tony replied with a smile, “I feel like she had more to say and maybe she will in the future, but she opened our eyes to how exhausted you must be and how Harley’s maybe become a little too dependent on you. Stuff we maybe should have seen before now, hell maybe we did and we just chose to ignore it…”

“I didn’t mind” Peter said quickly, “Really, I-I didn’t. I don’t. I love Harley, Mr. Stark. I love your son so much that my heart feels like it’s going to burst whenever he looks at me or I look at him. This-this, you-I love him. You have to believe that I love him so much.”

“Kid, I never doubted that for one second” Tony sighed, “But your Aunt is right, you’re just a boy yourself and it wasn’t fair of me and Pepper to expect so much of you when it came to looking after Harley. I’m the one who should be apologizing to you. Maybe if I’d been a better father, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Peter fell about crying once again as those words hit him. Tony sighed. Wrong thing to say, now the kid was likely feeling guilty over making him analyze his parenting flaws. It was true though, if he’d been a better and more hands-on father, Harley might not have ended up in the mess he currently was.

“You’re not a bad, Dad” Peter said quietly, “At least….I don’t think you are. You love Harley and he loves you and you both know it. That’s-that’s good.”

“But it’s not enough” Tony shot back, “It’s not. I need to do more, be more. It wasn’t intentional this time around but it definitely was in the past. Lord knows before he met you, he used to get himself in so much trouble and I’d just walk away because I wasn’t prepared to deal with him. Wasn’t prepared to look at the younger version of myself that was staring back at me.”

“That’s changed now, though-“

“It has, and that’s thanks to you” Tony sighed, “Not me. Harley’s grown so much since he’s known you. You’ve matured and humbled him and brought out that sweet and loving side that we always knew was still in there. But I guess along the way, Pep and I got so used to you being so steady and reliable and there for him that we just….backed off and left you to look after him, more than you should have had to. We could schedule those extra meetings, go out for those business lunches, because we knew you’d be on hand as ever to keep our boy on the straight and narrow. And that’s why we’re the ones who need to say sorry to you, Peter, because we never once thought of you in all that. Only Harley, he’s-“

“Your kid” Peter finished with a smile, thinking back to what May had said on their call earlier, “He’s your kid, and what’s best for the rest of the world never really factors in when you’re thinking of what’s best for him. And I get that.”

Tony smiled and patted the kid on the shoulder.

“Come downstairs with me?” he asked, “We’ve got a few ideas to even things out that we wanna run by you, and I can assure you that no one in this compound is mad at you. Except for Morgan, but that’s more to do with you stepping on her Crayola than anything else-“

*

Harley was sitting next to Harry on the sofa’s when Peter reached the living room of the Stark’s penthouse with Tony’s hand still firmly grasped on his shoulder. Pepper was sitting opposite them and beckoned Peter over with a warm smile when she saw him and her husband file back into the room. Harley turned around and pretty much leaped off the sofa towards Peter when he saw him.

“I’m sorry!” they both said in unison once they’d reached one another, and then fell about into laugher.

“I should have been honest with you about how I was feeling” Peter said quickly, “It was hypocritical of me to expect you to be open about your feelings and then no be the same with my own. And letting you find out I was feeling this way through overhearing my talk with May was really shitty. I’m sorry.”

“That’s not your fault” Harley chuckled, “Wrong place, wrong time. I’m just sorry for unintentionally suffocating you. The last thing I would ever want to be is a needy boyfriend, they’re very cringey.”

They hugged and shared a brief kiss before walking hand in hand back to the sofa’s where Pepper seemed to have already drawn up some kind of plan. Peter smiled and rested his head on Harley’s shoulder and took his hands in his own.

“So, a bit of a tricky day all around” Pepper began, “Peter, I know Tony will have hopefully said all of this to you upstairs, but we are sorry that we let you take on so much of the work we should have been doing looking after Harley these last few months. I could make excuses but I won’t. I’m sorry, I hope you don’t hold it against us.”

“Never.” Peter said honestly

“Thanks” Pepper said with a smile, “OK, so, now that we’ve established the issue what I want us to do is come up with ways that we can fix it. I understand that this all came about because Harley asked if he could stay with you and May for a few weeks when lockdown ends, correct?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want him to come over” Peter explained quickly, “It’s just, I want to spend some time alone just me and May when we eventually get out. It’s been months and I really, really miss her.”

“Of course you do” Harley replied, “It was stupid of me to-“

“Hey no, we’re not doing that” Pepper snapped, “No one here is stupid or selfish at all. In fact, not being selfish enough is what got you two here in the first place. If the two of you take one thing away from today it’s that it’s OK to think of yourself from time to time. Just because you are in a loving relationship with someone doesn’t mean every waking second of your day has to be devoted to them. Even if, at your age, they are what take up every thought you have all day.”

Peter smiled shyly as Harley kissed him on the cheek.

“So, ideas” Harry interjected, “So, I might be new to this whole Stark family thing in an official way, but I do think that we all maybe need to have a step back from one another when quarantine lifts. This is a long time to be cooped up together.”

“What do you suggest oh latest teenage ward of ours?” Tony asked.

“I think me and Harley need some time to get used to one another on a whole new footing” Harry replied with a smile. Harley shot him a curious look. “I’m serious, if your Mom and Dad really do have no issues with me living with you guys permo from now on, we’re gonna be brothers. We gotta re-define our whole shebang if you’re gonna be my little bro.”

Peter smiled as Harley pulled a face.

“How do you mean, Harry?” Pepper asked.

“The one bit of Osborne property that’s solely in my name” Harry replied, “It’s this crappy little two-bedroom apartment in Jamaica. Sneakily got it with a false i.d. a few years back for if I want to get away from my Dad, it’s been empty since I got it but I kept on paying rent just in case. This sees like a just in case situation.”

“Wait, I’m confused” Harley piped up, “Are you saying we need to move in together?”

“I’m saying this is the easiest way to get every one what they want” Harry replied, “Think about it, Harls. You get some space and we get to learn to really co-exist as brothers. We will be close enough to Peter that you can see him regularly but far enough away that it won’t be suffocating and it just gives everyone a bit of breathing room for a while. Only for a while though, like maybe four weeks at most….what does everyone think?”

“That could work” Pepper said slowly, “As long as the two of you won’t be sick of one another by then as well?”

“Yeah, plus, Osborne’s gonna presumably have months and months of casual sex hook-up’s to catch up on” Tony interjected, “And stop looking at me like that, I caught you with a shareholder’s daughter behind an ice sculpture last year…”

“That was a good night” Harry said fondly, “I will restrain myself to an appropriate degree during that time, I swear. But I am a slut by nature and I can’t help that. We’re all embracing who we are and what we need after all.”

“It’s cool” Harley said with a nod, “Maybe my date nights with Peter can coincide with your slutting it up time.”

“See, we’re already making things better!” Harry said enthusiastically before giving his best friend a high five.

“See, Peter, no one’s mad at you” Tony said softly, “We’re all just trying to make the best of the situation we’re in. So, until a time comes when we’re allowed to move about freely again, we need to plan what we’re going to do to fix the issue whilst we’re here.”

“We’ll iron out the details tomorrow, but I’ve got a basic plan” Pepper answered, “I think we all need to share the load. Not just with Harley, but with each other. Admittedly, Tony and I haven’t really stopped working since we got here but we’re going to take a step back from that now and have Rhodey and Nat oversee the food sorting and shipments. Bad press or no, it’s time Tony and I focused in on our four….god, how did we end up with four? Kids.”

Peter smiled as Harry insisted everyone bring it in for a group hug. For the first time in months, he felt a little lighter in his chest. He hadn’t even realized how much everything had been weighing him down until the pressure was relieved.

“I love you all” he found himself saying as he was pressed into the center of the hug and was over the moon when the affirmation was returned.

*

“Separate bedrooms.”

“Separate bedrooms.”

“We can do this.”

“Totally.”

“Co-Dependency, don’t know her.”

“Who is she? A stranger.”

“Guys, not that this isn’t cute” Harry sighed as he slung his shirt over his shoulder, “But you have been saying goodbye to one another outside the bathroom for ten minutes now and I need to shower.”

“You need to masturbate” Harley corrected him.

“Yes, in the shower, I’m not an animal” Harry rolled his eyes before pushing his best friend out of the way and entering the bathroom, “Major thirst trap coming later tonight guys, you are not ready!”

“Harry, it’s good of you to keep giving the people what they want-“

“_Need_, Peter, this is what they _need_.”

“OK, what they need” Peter said, now his turn to roll his eyes, “But does it ever occur to you that being sexy isn’t just about taking off your clothes and showing your abs? It can be a bit more demure than that.”

“Aww, ain’t he cute?” Harry smirked ruffling Peter’s hair before closing the bathroom door behind him, “Now, just so we’re all on the same page I am naked and it is totally acceptable within the confines of your guys’ new healthy, non-dependent relationship to embrace the fact you’re both going to spend the next half an hour thinking of me-“

“I am begging you to shut up” Harley called.

“And yet-“ Harry’s voice was eventually drowned out by the sound of the shower and Peter took Harley’s hand in his as they moved to Peter’s new room just down the hallway. It had been one of their first agreements following the meeting. They both needed to get use to having space away from one another again. That didn’t stop Peter feeling extremely nervous when Harley walked him to his door and for the first time in months he was faced with the prospect of not seeing his boyfriend for twelve hours.

“This is good” Harley said with a nod, “A little space never hurt anybody.”

“It hurt George Clooney in Gravity” Peter pointed out nervously, “But, yes, you’re right. This will be good for us. N-night.”

They shared a quick kiss but decided it wasn’t satisfactory so stepped closer and shared a deeper one that lasted a few minutes before breaking apart. Harley wheezed as they separated.

“Good enough for now” he gasped, “We’ll work on…erm, shortening how long we kiss for from tomorrow, yes?”

“Yes” Peter said with a nod, “See you….see you for breakfast.”

“9am sharp” Harley smiled as they heard the bathroom door open and a satisfied Harry emerged from the steam wrapped in his towel. Abs glistening. Water falling down his chest, fully aware of the effect he was having on the two bisexuals standing in front of him. He grinned.

“Thirst traps up guys” he said with a wink, “I think you’ll enjoy it!”

Harry disappeared into his room, the one that sat in between Harley’s and Peter’s new one and meant Harry would be able to see to any attempts at midnight visits, and Harley rolled his eyes before pulling out his phone.

“He’s such a thot-oh, oh that’s so sweet-“

Peter shot Harley a confused look before pulling out his own phone and looking up Harry’s Instagram page. His face immediately softened as well.

“I know we just said goodnight” Peter sighed, “But I am going to need to go and hug that beautiful man right away.”

“Yeah, same” Harley said with a smile and they both ran to Harry’s door and pushed it open without a care in the world to find him-

“DUDES PRIVACY!” Harry yelled, barley managing to cover his junk with a small cactus plant before Harley and Peter both fell into the room.

Then, they fell about laughing.

“Sorry!” Peter cried, “It was just, your post was so sweet, we wanted to hug you-“

“But you saw more just come out of the shower!” Harry exclaimed, “It wouldn’t have taken much deduction to figure out I might be completely naked in here!”

“Sorry, Har, I think we might be deflecting before we part for the night” Harley smirked, “We’ll leave you and Harry Jnr be”

Harry smiled as they left and shut the door behind them.

“This is it then” Peter sighed, “Actual goodnight, see you tomorrow morning, sleep without you next to me to cuddle.”

“It’s for the best” Harley reminded him, “We don’t wanna burn out before we’re 18, do we?”

“No way” Peter said with a smile, “This is forever and if that means that we need to get used to spending some time apart, then that’s what it’s going to take.”

“I love you” Harley said simply before leaning in and kissing Peter.

“I love you, too” Peter replied

“Try not to think of me too much?” Harley asked.

“Nah, I’ll just think of Harry” Peter teased, “Kidding, but in case he’s still listening, WE LOVE YOU HARRY!”

“Yeah, WE LOVE YOU HARRY” Harley called, “Thanks for breaking the Internet for us. Really appreciate it my dude.”

Peter smiled at Harley and watched as his boyfriend walked back to his bedroom. He smiled and waved as Harley turned the door handle and then disappeared. He sighed, but he was happy. This was a new normal.

And they would be fine.

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that,  
STAY SAFE,  
Please leave a comment below,  
Lots of love,  
Jamie  
xxxx


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I miss you so much, honey” May said with a smile, “It’s so good to see you, you’re looking really well, I like the sleeked back hair.”
> 
> “Thanks, thought I may as well change something new” Peter replied, “You’re looking really good as well, more your old self.”
> 
> “You’re wrong, but thanks” May smirked, “How’s Harley? Still on the up?”
> 
> “Getting better every day” Peter beamed.
> 
> (But I'm not. I'm not and I don't know how to tell you.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi im back, you'll hate me by the end, bye!

**Off The Rails**

_Chapter 27._

Chaotic Zoom.

**Peter P. **is now online.

“Oh, finally” MJ said as Peter’s grinning face finally appeared on the computer screen, “Parker, how are you _this _late?”

“I got busy” Peter chuckled.

“That means he and Harley were having sex” Betty sighed.

“No, it doesn’t” Peter replied, blushing a little, “Maybe we were studying or baking cookies with his adorable seven-year old sister? Why does your mind have to somewhere-“

“They were having sex” Harry interjected.

“Traitor!” Peter shrieked as MJ and Betty laughed. Ned looked scandalized.

“Ned, why do you look like someone just slapped you in the face?” MJ asked.

“I just….I didn’t know Peter and Harley were sleeping together” Ned stuttered out as everyone gave him disbelieving looks, “What? Peter’s really innocent, I-“

“Peter? Innocent?” Harry laughed, “Do you even know your best friend at all?”

“Don’t listen to him, Ned” Peter smirked, “I am a shy and innocent wallflower, yet to be defiled by my billionaire boyfriend.”

“Lies!” Betty accused.

“Ned, you really can’t have been naïve to think they weren’t sleeping together, dude” MJ said through her laughter, “I mean, the PDA alone….”

“I guess I just never thought about it” Ned said defensively, “Because unlike the rest of the world I’m not actually totally obsessed with their romance.”

“Well, I am” said Harry as he shoved three Pringles in his mouth, “And having been in forced extended isolation with them for a considerable amount of-“

“La-La-La-La-La” Ned shouted as he slammed his hands over his hears as everyone else on the Zoom call laughed out loud, “Is May aware of what you’ve been up to? Are you being safe?”

“No, Harley’s pregnant” Peter deadpanned.

“Ha-Ha” Ned shot back, “Where is he anyway?”

“Having a lay down” Peter replied, “He err got very out of breath whilst we were baking….cookies.”

*

**Michelle J. **is now online.

“I’ve just had a one on one with a crying Ned” she smirked, “He feels like a total idiot for blanking on you and Harley having a sex life.”

“Like, that’s sweet” Peter said with a grin, “But what did he think me and Harley get up to alone? He nearly walked in on us once.”

“He is a sweet summer child” Michelle said with a rare smile, “And I think he’s missing you a lot more than he lets on.”

“I miss him too!” Peter exclaimed, “And you, you’re like my impulse control. I don’t think I’d have freaked out over May as much as I did if you’d been here.”

“That’s nice of you to say” she replied, “And I miss you too, nerd. But I’m pleased you’re safe and happy where you are with Harley and his family. Even if Osborne is there.”

“He’s not that bad” Peter said with a smile, “He’s helped me a lot, actually. I tell you he’s living with Mr. & Mrs. Stark all the time from now on?”

MJ shook her head.

“How come?” she asked.

“Dad stuff, I won’t go into it.” Peter sighed, “I know he symbolizes everything you hate about the world, but he really is a decent guy.”

“I’m sure” she sighed.

“He is” Peter insisted.

“Do you hear me say he isn’t?” she asked.

“I know your tone of voice, Michelle” he said as he rolled his eyes, “I know you better than anyone and I can tell you don’t believe me.”

“Just don’t know him that well yet, I suppose” she replied, “Guess I was the same with Harley when you guys first met and now I’d probably kill for him. Crap, don’t tell him I said that.”

“He actually kinda needs the ego boost, so I think I will” Peter grinned.

“Still bad?”

“More good than bed, we’re getting there.”

“Good, I’m glad. And you really don’t mind living with Osborne?”

“Are you kidding?” Peter asked, “Mine and Harley’s favorite activity is watching him coming out of the swimming pool. Just….just all of the abs.”

*

**Harry O **is now online.

“Why are we doing this?”

“Cos I wanna talk to you.”

“Harry, we live in the same house.”

“Harley, I want to talk to you” Harry sighed.

“You are so ridiculous” Harley sighed back, “You could come to my room, we could have a quiet chat, we could cuddle on the bed…”

“The cuddling is nice” Harry admitted, “I’m definitely game for some of that later but it’s safer to talk about what I wanna talk about on Zoom.”

“You are so ridiculously overdramatic” Harley rolled his eyes.

“You love it.”

“Sure, I do” Harley said with a smile, “What’s so urgent anyway?”

“MJ”

“MJ?”

“Yeah, Peter’s friend with the scary eyes.”

“I’m aware. Nice girl. Bit intense. Doesn’t like you much.”

“Really?” Harry groaned, “Why not? I have abs.”

“Abs aren’t a personality trait, Harry”

“They can be if you try hard enough” said Harry as he jokingly rolled his sleeve up and flexed his bicep.

“Yes, very impressive” Harley said as he rolled his eyes, “Why are you asking about MJ anyway? Oh my god….you like her don’t you?”

“No, I-“

“You like her!”

“Fine. I like her. A little bit.”

“She’s never gonna like you back.”

“Why not?”

“Harold, they're lesbians.”

"_Oh_"

*

**Harley S **is now online.

“Hey”

“Hello Ned, how’s things?”

“You defiled my best friend.”

“And he defiled me back” Harley said proudly

“I see you’re getting back to your old self” Ned sighed, “I just feel I have a duty to warn you not to hurt my best friend.”

“Is it not a bit late for this?” Harley asked, “We’ve been together for nearly a year and you’ve not said a word.”

“Well, I guess-I didn’t know how serious it was until now” Ned admitted.

“Why?” Harley asked, “We’re inseparable. We’re isolating together, we love one another, he’s held me through all the crap I’ve been through, I’m going to as-Ned, dude, c’mon have you been walking around with your eyes closed?”

“I don’t know!” Ned exclaimed, “I guess that I just…I dunno, I think I wanted me and Peter to carry on being best friends so much that I-“

“Convinced yourself him and me weren’t as solid as we are?” Harley finished for him, raising his eyebrows.

“Yeah, I’m sorry” Ned sighed, “Plus, I’m still a virgin and now that Peter’s not anymore, it’s only me that’s left.”

“No, you’re not” Harley assured him, “Are you lonely, Ned?”

Ned paused and then looked down; his shoulders slumped.

“I’m guessing that’s a yes” Harley sighed.

“This sucks” Ned cried, “I mean, I love my parents but they’re not exactly the most talkative people in the world, MJ’s one of those people who’s happier not being disturbed all the time and my only other friend is with you-“

“Ned, now you’ve offended me!”

“What? Oh, sorry. I know I shouldn’t be bitter about Peter spending more time with you, that was selfish of me-“

“Oh, I didn’t mean that” Harley said with a laugh, “I’m offended by the fact you don’t consider me one of your friends by now. I consider you one of mine and you can definitely add me to the list of people you can call anytime, so, tell me your troubles…”

*

**Ned L **is now online.

“I think I might be in love with your boyfriend” Ned announced loudly once Peter had logged on to the chat, “He’s the kindest, sweetest, most generous person I’ve evet met after you and Aunt May.”

“Thanks” Peter said with a smile, “He’s pretty much perfect, isn’t he? Like not a single flaw, kind of incredible, isn’t it?”

“Perfect’s a bit much” Ned smirked, “Honestly, the fact that he’s imperfect just adds to how much I’m in love with him.”

“Ned, are you telling me you have an honest to god crush on my boyfriend?” Peter asked with a smirk. Ned blushed.

“No, I am unfortunately straight” Ned sighed, “But if I wasn’t, boy would you have some competition.”

“I’d be happy to lose out to you” Peter smirked.

“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you on the chat the other night” Ned groaned, “I feel so stupid about it all.”

“It’s fine” Peter grinned, “Kind of nice of you, defending my honor.”

“But still…”

“Ned, don’t worry about it!” Peter exclaimed, “I miss you, man.”

“Really?”

“How can you even ask that? You’re my best friend, of course I miss you!” Peter said incredulously, “Ned, I know I’ve been a bit distracted these last few months but Harley’s been ill and then May got the virus and-“

“You don’t have to apologize, Peter” Ned sighed, “I get it.”

“I’m sorry” Peter said plainly, “Maybe I’ve not been the best friend that I could have been for the last few months. But I’ll be better, try harder. We’ll talk every day if that’s what you want.”

“We don’t have to do that” Ned replied sadly, “I just really miss everyone, so much that sometimes talking doesn’t even help. It just makes me miss them more.”

“Yeah, I get that every time I speak with May” Peter admitted.

“What did you do about it?” Ned asked.

“When I figure it out I’ll let you know, buddy” Peter sighed, “Anyway, enough of that, let’s get down to Snyder Cut theories. Can you believe Mr. Stark managed to persuade HBO to fo ahead with it…”

*

**Michelle J **is now online.

“Hey!”

“Why are you talking to me?”

“Can’t I just say hello?” Harry asked.

“I guess” MJ shrugged, “I just always assumed you didn’t know who I am.”

“Of course I know who you are!” Harry exclaimed, “You’re Peter’s scary friend who has probably fantasized about murdering me.”

“Not untrue I suppose” MJ sighed, “Though I would appreciate it if we could carry on this conversation once you’ve put a T-shirt on.”

Harry grinned and looked down at his shirtless body.

“Oh, sorry” he smirked, “Forgot. Getting out of the habit of wearing these things.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen your Instagram”

“Ooh cyber stalking me?” Harry teased.

“No, you just post so often you’re always at the top of my feed” she shot back, “What do you want anyway? I assume you didn’t just ask me to talk to you on here for no reason, what’s going on that it can’t be said in front of everyone else?”

“Nothing much” Harry shrugged, “Just I’ve been doing some self-reflection lately and I’ve started to realize I need new friends. Real friends. People I can trust.”

“And that’s me?” she asked.

“Yeah, if that’s alright” Harry said quietly, “It’d be awesome of you said yes but if you say no then you consider all of this a dumb joke and we’ll forget it ever happened, I’ll even let you choose some macabre way to publicly humiliate me.”

MJ smiled as Harry Osborne blushed and looked away from the camera nervously. She understood what Peter meant now.

“Fine” she said with a smile, “We can be friends, I guess. You kinda proved yourself with that post you made for Harley and Peter a few weeks back.”

“Cool!” Harry beamed, “And thanks. I’m err-adjusting to a bit of a new life so I’m gonna change, be better.”

“I don’t think you’ll need to change that much” she assured him. Harry smiled back before pulling up an old t-shirt and a pair of scissors.

“What’re you doing?” MJ asked.

“Oh, I watched Outer Banks last week” he replied, “That new Netflix show and the hunky blonde character had these like vests that were cut all the way down and showed off his chest and abs like constantly and I thought that that was a genius thirst trap move so now I’m cutting up most of my old clothes!”

“I’ve made a huge mistake” MJ said to herself, knowing she actually hadn’t.

*

**Peter P **is now online.

“Hey baby!”

“Hey, Aunt May!”

_God, just seeing her face hurts _

“I miss you so much, honey” May said with a smile, “It’s so good to see you, you’re looking really well, I like the sleeked back hair.”

“Thanks, thought I may as well change something new” Peter replied, “You’re looking really good as well, more your old self.”

“You’re wrong, but thanks” May smirked, “How’s Harley? Still on the up?”

“Getting better every day” Peter beamed.

_But I'm not. I'm not and I don't know how to tell you._

“Ned called me freaking out the other day” May informed him, “Is he doing good? Should I be worried he’s going to turn up here sleepwalking again?”

“No, he’s fine” Peter chuckled, “I think the isolation boredom finally got to him this week and it just kind of made him snap. He freaked out cos he never realized Harley and I were sleeping together before the other day.”

“Wait, you’re sleeping together?”

“Ha-ha” Peter shot back, “Bold thing to be sarcastic about from the woman who gave me an XL pack of condoms and installed a lock on my bedroom door. God, I miss my bedroom. And the door. And my lock.”

“Yes, it does feel very empty without you here” May sighed before smiling and reaching down to pick something up off-screen, “Which is why I went and bought Mr. Wilkerson.”

May proudly held up a shabby looking ginger cat into the camera lens via The Lion King pose.

_God, how can I tell you? How can I tell you when you've already lost so much?_

“You bought a cat?”

“Yes, problem?”

“Erm, your allergies?”

“Oh who cares about those” May said flippantly, “Look at his ikkle paws!”

“Tell me you didn’t buy that thing from someone on the streets?” Peter groaned.

“Of course not, Peter” May replied as she rolled her eyes, “There’s a pandemic, no one’s bought a cat from the streets for weeks. No, I got Mr. Wilkerson from Craigslist and he got dropped off outside the apartment door in a cardboard box. Chill, would you?”

Peter buried his head in his hands.

_How can I tell you that you might lose me as well? _

*

“Harry, why can I see your entire torso through the side of your shirt?” Peter asked later that night as the three boys sat down to watch a movie, “At some point, we have to put our feet down and tell you when you’re being a shameless hoe.”

“You don’t need to tell me” Harry replied, “The only issue here is that I’m not going to get the chance to show my new look off around a blistering New York City this summer.”

“Tell me you at least left some of your clothes untouched for the winter?” Harley grumbled.

“A few” Harry shrugged, “But a real hoe commits, Harley, even in the winter.”

“You’re worth more than your body, you know” Harley told him seriously. Harry and Peter shared a look before Harry sighed and brought his best friend in for a cuddle. This was all part of the recovery process, Harley frowned but reached his arms across Harry’s mostly exposed stomach anyway.

“I know I am” Harry sighed, “I never had to learn that lesson. I was gangly and awkward looking as fuck until puberty hit, I wasn’t always angelically beautiful like you, Harls. I never had to think that all I was good for was my looks-“

“But I-“

“Let him finish, Harls.” Peter said. Harley nodded, but carried on frowning.

“Everyone I’ve ever had sex with, I’ve wanted to” Harry went on, “Because I knew I could tell the difference between them just wanting my body for sex or wanting me from me. And yeah, sometimes I chose to have people who just wanted me for the first thing, but it was alright because I knew the difference. I knew to expect the change. It works for me. So, I’m alright being a bit flirty with everyone, showing off the goods, cos I can tell who just likes me for that and who likes me for deeper reasons.”

“And I’m not saying I’m perfect at it, but that’s more when it comes to friends. I’m starting to learn who likes me for me when it comes to friends but it’s never been an issue when it comes to sex like it has with you.”

Harley nodded along. Peter hoped he understood.

“So, what, it’s just different” Harley asked quietly, “God, it’s so confusing.”

“I know” Harry replied softly, “Cos it’s the same action, at the end of the day, but it’s all about how it affects you. I know I can walk away from casual sex and not have it really affect me but for you, it messed you up a bit, no offence. It twisted who you viewed yourself, Harls.”

“And that’s not your fault” Peter said quickly, “You were young and got taken advantage of by much older people. And we’re working hard to un-do all of that damage but it’s damage that never happened to Harry.”

“But the fact you told me I’m worth more than that means that you’re starting to become aware that you mean more than that” Harry said happily, “Which is a big step up, right Pete?”

“Huge” Peter said with a smile as Harley threaded their fingers together, “And I’m really proud of you.”

Harry smiled and kissed Harley on the head before passing him back over to Peter before going upstairs for a ‘top secret’ private Zoom call. Harley hummed and rested his head on Peter’s chest whilst his boyfriend ran comforting motions through his hair.

“My head is but a tangled ball of yarn” he lamented.

“I know” Peter replied, “But we’re getting there.”

“I’m so pleased you’re here with me” Harley said with a smile, “You really know how to make a good day bad; you know that?”

“Not so bad at that yourself” Peter told him, “I think you managed to fix Ned from having a major meltdown earlier.”

“He’s cool. He loves you so much Peter.” Harley smiled, “Everyone loves you so much, you’re like the most loveable person who’s ever lived, ever.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Stark.”

“To sleep? Here in your arms?”

Peter sighed as Harley locked him in place and slowly started to drift off to sleep. Peter’s own eyes began to droop after a while and before he knew it, it was morning, he and Harley were still on the sofa and a blanket had been draped over them.

“Oh not again” Peter muttered, “How many nights is this now?”

“Six in a row, twelve overall” Harry called from the other side of the room, “But that’s only since I started counting, mind you. It was happening so often that I had to.”

Peter smiled and climbed out from Harley’s now rather limp arms, pressing a kiss on his boyfriends head before making his way across the room.

“If he wakes up, tell him I’m going for a shower” Peter yawned as he passed Harry.

“Will do” Harry replied before calling, “Peter?”

“What?” Peter asked as he stretched.

“Have you told him yet?” Harry replied with a sigh.

Peter’s face hardened.

“I’m not telling him anything before I have to” he said.

“But Peter-“

“It’ll be nothing!”

“And if it’s not?”

“I don’t want to have this conversation, Harry” Peter snapped, “You know how vulnerable he still is, I can’t tell him something like this, especially if it’s nothing and he doesn’t need to know about it.”

“Peter-“

“Harry, please” Peter begged in a cross whisper, “I can’t tell Harley and I definitely can’t tell May. They’ve both been sick and they don’t need unnecessary worry.”

“Dude, you might be sick as well” Harry said desperately.

“It’s a lump, Harry” Peter said darkly, “It’s one lump on my back, teenagers get them all the time, probably just a glorified verruca. Dr. Banner’s gonna give me a scan next week and then we’ll all laugh that we panicked in the first place because it will be _nothing_.”

He turned and walked away from Harry who stood up.

“And if it’s not?” he asked.

Peter didn’t answer. He just shook his head and ran upstairs. He’d been crying in the shower every morning since he found the lump three days ago.

He couldn’t get sick. Not like that. Not now.

Harry only knew because he’d found him having a panic attack in the gym after, and he’d sworn him to secrecy, which was only adding to Peter’s anxiety. It was so unfair asking Harry to keep something like this a secret from everyone but Peter just couldn’t face up to the reality that he could actually have cancer.

He didn’t even know if it was possible, with his Spider-Man mutation.

Slowly, Peter picked himself up off of the shower floor and grabbed a towel before slovenly heading back into his bedroom where he found Harley sitting on the edge of his bed with wide, inviting eyes.

“Woke up without you” he said, “Didn’t like it.”

“I’m sorry” Peter replied sadly, though he felt a little lighter for seeing Harley’s gorgeous eyes light up at the sight of him, “I just really needed a shower.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna get one myself in a minute” Harley said as Peter finally made his way over to him and gave him a brief kiss, “I love you, Peter. I love you so much. I know I tell you it all the time but I just….I never, ever want you to forget it.”

Peter nodded, barely holding back a fresh new set of tears. He smiled and kissed Harley and rested his head on his boyfriends broad shoulders and giggled a little as he felt Harley’s hands caress the end of his curls.

“I never will” he managed to choke out.

Everything had to be OK. It just had to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry! i had the idea for a peter sickfic with him and harley as a couple and i was going to start as its own separate story but the more i thought about it, the more it seemed to suite these particular versions of these characters so i've decided to use it here. 
> 
> anyway,  
feel free to shout at me in the comments  
love you.  
bye.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment below!
> 
> (If Pepper seems a bit harsh just remember her son stole a jet ok)


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